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10 HOUR | The First Legendary Beast Master Part 5 | Audiobook (Sleep/Study/Gym) — Transcript

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0:00Carl waited in the cafeteria while the
0:02others went in for their analysis that
0:04morning and watched the mood change
0:05every time someone got good or
0:07unexpectedly bad news. Dana and Oilia
0:11went in one after the other with Oilia
0:13going first and coming out with a
0:14positive attitude to give Carl a thumbs
0:16up. Well, we're good to go. They cleared
0:20me to fight and said that these issues
0:22with my berserker rage trying to take
0:24over were all sorted out. As it turns
0:27out, I just wasn't embracing the bear
0:29fully enough, and it was the sparring
0:31session with the Golem that set things
0:33back in balance, she explained.
0:37Weren't embracing the bear enough? Carl
0:40asked, "Yeah, you know how I've usually
0:43got some sort of self-control in battle?
0:45That's not how it is supposed to work. I
0:48thought I was better at the Berserker
0:50rage, but I just wasn't fully activating
0:52it. Those partial activations were
0:55causing a mental imbalance as the
0:57berserker side and the sane side of my
0:59mind were trying to merge and that's
1:01just not possible without going insane.
1:04Carl nodded. That makes sense. The whole
1:07point of Berserker rage is to let go and
1:09just go wild, right? I'm glad that you
1:12got it all sorted out. It's not going to
1:15mess with your combat too much, is it?
1:18Like you won't have to start training
1:20all over. Oilia shook her head. Nope.
1:25It's all instinctive, so I'm unlikely to
1:27attack known teammates.
1:30Well, no more likely than an angry bear
1:32is to attack her own instead of the
1:34enemy. That should be fine in combat.
1:37And the way that berserkers train
1:38imprints our skills in our subconscious,
1:41so we will still use them when we're in
1:42a rage. As they were talking, Dana came
1:45back out as well with a more cautiously
1:48optimistic smile on her face. Well, I'm
1:51cleared to leave, but they want me to
1:53avoid intense battles for a while. I
1:56know that's not really possible, but
1:58that's what it is. She informed them.
2:02Carl pulled her in for a hug. Of course,
2:05we can avoid the more intense battles.
2:08Only small scout group eliminations with
2:10supervisors and reinforcements until
2:12it's time to go find more refugees or
2:14something to keep Tessa from getting in
2:16trouble with her goddess. Dana laughed.
2:20If you're going to make up a lie, at
2:21least make it a good one. I don't think
2:24that any of us would be happy just
2:26slacking off. But seeing what happened
2:28to Tori, I wasn't ready for that. The
2:31mood turned somber at the end, but they
2:34understood.
2:35It's fine. I will get them to transfer
2:38us away from the main lines where we're
2:40more likely to see allies die. Carl
2:43assured her, but Dana shook her head. I
2:46think that we should join the main
2:48group. It might help if we can thwart a
2:50few direct attacks, you know, save some
2:53lives where we can actually see them.
2:56Oilia nodded. That sounds good. We can
3:00socialize and build up some of that
3:02reputation that we're supposed to have
3:04with our peers. I mean, I didn't
3:07socialize much because everyone but the
3:09Berserkers is afraid of the only female
3:11berserker.
3:13But you two were barely at the academy
3:14at all, and now you're powerful, so you
3:17might as well go get them to put some
3:18respect on your names. From Carl's left,
3:22one of the other patients laughed.
3:24That's right. They'd better put some
3:26respect on the monster man's name. Who
3:29else here could use half their class
3:31skills to defend their group while
3:32taking on a solo duel against a royal
3:34rank frost giant? Carl smiled at the man
3:38whose hand was halfway regrown and held
3:40in a brace so he didn't damage the
3:42forming portions.
3:44Don't forget that idea got me here with
3:46you. I don't recommend it. While they
3:49were chatting, Morgana, Jill, and Dave
3:52all arrived in the cafeteria.
3:54We got the good news from the doctors
3:56when they finished the morning
3:57assessments.
3:59You might as well get something to eat
4:01and then we will head over to the
4:02cathedral for the night. They want to
4:05test everyone before you head out again
4:07just in case. We will be leaving for the
4:10border tomorrow morning, but no more
4:12hospital nights for you. I should go
4:14change after lunch, I guess. Finally,
4:18the hospital can get their stylish
4:20short-sleeved outfit back. Carl joked.
4:24The kitchen staff laughed at that. The
4:27short-sleeved hass was unique to the
4:29hospital for people who needed injured
4:30limbs accessible at all times. Normally,
4:34if you had a cast, it would fit under
4:36the sleeve, and you would just roll it
4:38up for checkups. With Carl's, they were
4:41constantly looking for discoloration or
4:43other issues, since there was a high
4:45risk of infection by frost giant blood.
4:48None had appeared, much to their
4:50surprise, as there was very little
4:52chance that Lotus had even tried, much
4:54less managed, to get all the giant blood
4:56off the severed limb. The two species
4:59were about as far from compatible blood
5:01donors as it was possible to be. So, the
5:03body would normally treat it as a toxin
5:05and go into overdrive trying to expel
5:07the blood. When Carl returned to his
5:10room to get his gear, there were fresh
5:12robes waiting for him, the standard ones
5:14from the cathedral with the cathedral's
5:16property tag on the inside, so he didn't
5:18have to change when he got there. That
5:21was convenient. His roommates were still
5:24out, but Morgana came in a few seconds
5:26after Carl had the new robes on. Ready
5:29to roll out. Where is your pack? She
5:33asked. In the locker. I never unpacked
5:37anything in it, so it's still good. Carl
5:40explained. We can restock it at the
5:43cathedral. The hospital doesn't have
5:45mission supplies.
5:47Carl shook his head. I meant that
5:50literally. I haven't unpacked anything
5:53from it. It's still fully loaded and
5:55ready to leave. We had three priests who
5:58could cook and Ray making the shelters
6:00on our last mission, so I never actually
6:02opened my main pack for anything. The
6:05witch doctor shook her head as she
6:07grabbed the pack out of the locker. Carl
6:10was a bit startled that she could heft
6:11it around with one hand like that. His
6:14pack was quite heavy as the weight
6:16didn't mean much to him, but she was a
6:18magic user and they usually couldn't use
6:20strength items. All right, take that and
6:23let's go. They've got a surprise for you
6:26at the cathedral. Morgana informed him
6:29with a wink. Did Lotus adopt a war bear?
6:33Because I wouldn't put it past her.
6:36Goddess, I hope not. But that's not the
6:39surprise I'm referring to. She muttered,
6:42making Carl laugh. She led him outside
6:45and down a cobblestone path that led
6:47into the side of the cathedral where
6:49Tessa and Lotus were waiting for them
6:51along with Bob and Doug, who now had
6:53teachers badges hung on chains around
6:55their neck. No way. They made you guys
6:58teachers. Carl laughed. Substitute
7:02teachers for the remainder of the school
7:03year. Technically,
7:05not all of the academyy's teachers are
7:07well suited to combat, and they needed a
7:10few extras. We're both commanders, and
7:13we have more than a little experience
7:14with the hill giants that roam into the
7:16nation or appear during the monster
7:18spawns. What do you think? Does it suit?
7:23Bob replied.
7:25Definitely.
7:26I think that you two will be great
7:28teachers. You even volunteered to look
7:31out for me during my first proper solo
7:33mission.
7:34Teaching might just be your calling.
7:37Carl agreed. Morgana gave them a curious
7:40look. What are you supposed to be
7:42teaching anyhow? Don't all teachers have
7:45a subject. The brothers smiled back at
7:48her. Wilderness survival. The witch
7:52doctor rolled her eyes. Of course, you
7:55would get a class that doesn't involve
7:57actually knowing how to read. The
7:59brothers laughed and Carl put on his
8:01best innocent questioning look. I didn't
8:04know that you knew each other. Bob
8:07laughed. We met a few times on missions
8:10while she was still in school, but for
8:12the record, I can read. I won't make any
8:15guarantees for Doug. Doug reached into
8:18his robes and pulled out a HIMYM book. I
8:21will have you know that once you have
8:22memorized all the songs, you don't need
8:24to know how to read anymore. Morgana
8:27sighed while everyone else laughed, so
8:29Carl patted her on the shoulder. You get
8:32used to them, but they're the sort of
8:34people you want on your side when things
8:36go wrong in the wilderness.
8:38Morgana looked toward the cathedral.
8:41As much as this is a surprise, it's not
8:43the one that I was expecting. Monk Chen
8:46was supposed to meet us at the
8:47cathedral. He has joined the staff as
8:49well and will be coming along to help
8:51with meditation and mental fortitude
8:53training. Carl laughed and pointed
8:56toward the building. He's almost
8:58certainly inside those doors. They lead
9:01to the meditation area, and they're a
9:03much better spot to surprise a visitor.
9:06Tessa and Lotus surrounded the witch
9:08doctor and wrapped their arms around
9:09her. "So, you've been drawn into the
9:12Carl gravity well." "Aren't you a bit
9:14old for him?" Tessa asked. "First off, I
9:19am his adviser from the bureau.
9:21Secondly, "Aren't you older than I am,
9:23sister?" Morgana cut back. Doug and
9:27Lotus both laughed before Doug gave
9:29Tessa a consiliatory pat on the
9:31shoulder. "She's got a point. She was
9:34the youngest in her class, nearly a
9:36whole year younger. She didn't even get
9:38long enough legs to keep up with the
9:40group until third year. You really want
9:43me to hex you, don't you?" Morgana
9:46replied. Lotus hugged the witch doctor.
9:50Don't feel bad. I graduated last year
9:53and I still have short legs. Morgana
9:56sighed and looked away just as the door
9:58opened, revealing brother Chen, who had
10:00been drawn by the commotion. Commander
10:03Carl, it's good to see you all healed
10:06and returned to service. But why does
10:08the lovely Miss Morgana look so
10:10defeated? He announced.
10:13She's not ready to deal with nature
10:15priests today. I heard that you're
10:18joining the academy staff.
10:19Congratulations.
10:21Carl replied before giving the monk a
10:24hug. Monkchin smiled back at Carl. You
10:28know, you actually look your age from
10:30this angle. Behind them, Doug laughed.
10:34Not for long. It's his birthday next
10:37week and he will get his baby face
10:38status back. Carl did quick math as he
10:42hadn't seen a calendar in ages. Doug was
10:45right, but he was surprised that the
10:47nature priest knew that. Tessa nodded.
10:51And it's both Lotus and Dana's birthday
10:53next month. We're all getting old. Make
10:56it stop. Her dramatic announcement made
10:59the monk laugh. Just wait. Soon enough,
11:02you will be looking like one of the
11:03orphanage matrons, all round and jolly
11:06with a ruler in your hand as you terrify
11:08school children. You take that back
11:11right now. Tessa had the sort of narrow
11:14and angular features that Carl couldn't
11:16see ever getting that sort of chubby.
11:18The battle nuns, as everyone called the
11:20lean and muscular female red dragon
11:22clerics who practically lived in combat,
11:25seemed like a more probable outcome. The
11:28rest of the group joined them as the
11:29clerics all exchanged stories. They
11:32hadn't seen each other in a while, as
11:34Bob and Doug had been assigned to guard
11:36duty. And while Munchchan wasn't
11:38technically a cleric, he was mostly
11:40hidden in the meditation areas of the
11:42cathedral. Let's lead you all to your
11:44rooms to drop off your gear. It's good
11:47that they got you robes in advance. That
11:49makes life easier. The cathedral has
11:52seen too many visitors trying to sneak
11:54out of bounds lately. So, if you will
11:56notice, those robes don't have the
11:58silver thread in the cuffs that the
11:59regular visitor robes do. Brother Chin
12:02explained.
12:04Carl had never noticed the silver
12:06threads before, but he hadn't really
12:08been looking for them in an all-white
12:09robe. But as they walked through the
12:12cathedral toward the upper floor rooms,
12:14he did notice that on the tourist robes,
12:16one single thread on each sleeve was
12:18dyed silver. Not always in the same
12:21spot, but they all had a silver thread
12:23near the cuff. That was brilliant and
12:26meant that even if you tried to sneak in
12:28by blending in, the actual clerics would
12:30notice right away. But if they didn't
12:33have the silver, that meant there was
12:35something else that marked the elites
12:36and other authorized visitors from the
12:38clerics who were working there. Carl
12:41still hadn't found it by the time that
12:42they reached the rooms, so he put it out
12:44of his mind for the moment and stowed
12:46his pack for the evening before quickly
12:48washing his hands and face. "He really
12:51did need to shave," he decided before
12:53pulling his kid out and realizing that
12:55there was an easier way. On second
12:58thought, that was a terrible idea, and
13:00it would fill the room with the smell of
13:01burning hair. So, with his shaving kit
13:05in hand, Carl headed for the sinks in
13:07the men's shower room. A few minutes of
13:10work, and he was clean shaven again,
13:11looking like a proper academy student,
13:14and ready to face the remainder of the
13:15day. When he walked out again, he heard
13:18cursing coming from the lady's showers
13:20that sounded like Oilia, as well as a
13:23lot of laughing. She had said that she
13:25might be hairier in human form than were
13:27bear, but Carl didn't realize that she
13:29actually intended to shave it all off
13:31again. They were headed out in a day or
13:34two, so it was just going to grow back.
13:37But perhaps, like him, it just felt a
13:39bit more human to be all cleaned up for
13:41the day, like a reset between missions.
13:45Carl returned to his room and took out
13:47one of the books from the small
13:48bookshelf that each room had. They were
13:51all church literature, but some of them
13:53had useful information and not just
13:55religious dogma in them, like this one.
13:58It was told from the viewpoint of the
14:00church, but it was a history of the
14:02conflicts with the giants who occupied
14:04most of the territory around their
14:06borders. He could use a bit more
14:08information about the giants and how
14:10things had gone in the past.
14:13Carl recalled that there should be some
14:14wise saying about repeating history, but
14:16he couldn't think of quite what it was.
14:18As he began reading through the book,
14:20the story started the same as this war
14:22had begun. The giant clans had started
14:25to work together, attacking the nation
14:27from all sides as they searched for
14:29relics of the system stones, which they
14:31believed would allow them to regain some
14:33of their lost power. The first war was
14:36only a few generations after the stones
14:38had been shattered and the giants were
14:40convinced that the humans had another
14:42set. They didn't understand how the
14:44humans were keeping their advanced
14:46magic. But that was because uniquely
14:49among the species, the humans had
14:51managed to train new generations in many
14:53of the skills that had originally come
14:55from the system. The book was an older
14:57one written before the elites had been a
14:59thing and it didn't mention inscription
15:01as a skill as it had been considered a
15:03lost art at the time. That was how
15:06humans had passed down the skills until
15:08the number of inscriptionists had
15:10dropped so far in places like the Golden
15:12Dragon Nation thanks to the
15:13concentration of magic users in their
15:15own enclaves that it had been forgotten
15:17by most of the world.
15:19Some nations had always been able to do
15:21it, but it was a jealously guarded
15:23skill, and only when the elites had
15:25started to do it on their own had they
15:26slipped up and revealed that they could
15:28as well. It was their determination to
15:31find the person who leaked their secrets
15:32that had actually given away their
15:34secret. They had rampaged through the
15:37nation as the humans hid or defended
15:38their walled cities, doing what they
15:40could to defend their survival. At the
15:43time, it had been unthinkable that the
15:45humans could take on the giant clans
15:47without the legacy magic users who had
15:49fled and left them to their fates. And
15:51they had been right. But at the end of
15:53the war, the humans had managed to hold
15:55enough. And the giants didn't have the
15:57population to hold the entire region.
16:00So they slowly rebuilt and attacked the
16:03giants where they found them until a
16:05century later, the church had managed to
16:06unify the region. The story was the same
16:10nearly every time with some subtle
16:12variations.
16:13There was only one exception, the Fire
16:16Wars, when the giants had allied to trap
16:18and destroy the fire drakes that humans
16:20had been breeding as their defenders.
16:23Carl hadn't realized that they had
16:24started here. He had thought that the
16:27island nation of Drake riders was where
16:29they were because they had arrived from
16:30another continent. Of course, it could
16:33all be propaganda, but it was official
16:35propaganda, and the church was actually
16:37very particular with their records so
16:39that they didn't upset the blue dragon
16:41of knowledge. There were far fewer
16:43clerics in the dining hall than there
16:45had been the last time that Carl was
16:47here, and the room looked almost empty,
16:49while the lower ranked dining hall had
16:51only been half filled when he had passed
16:52by. That was a testament to how much of
16:55their membership had gone to war. As the
16:58capital cathedral was one of the
16:59bastions of the faith, where most of the
17:01residents were researchers, theorists,
17:03and essential staff to record keeping.
17:06The dining hall was silent as the food
17:08was brought around. But in a remarkable
17:10break from their usual rules and
17:12decorum, once it was served, the clerics
17:14began to talk and shift between tables.
17:17A number of them brought their food over
17:19to the table where Carl and Morgana were
17:21seated with monkchin.
17:23The rest of the group had split up at
17:24the table behind them as they wouldn't
17:26all fit at one. But even then, Carl
17:29noticed that there was shuffling and
17:30both Bob and Doug shifted to a third
17:32table full of clerics.
17:35Well, this is new. Carl noted quietly.
17:39The clerics who had just sat down nodded
17:41in unison. It's our chance to get news
17:44and we will all be rotated to the front
17:47soon when they release more of the
17:48wounded from the hospital. We heard that
17:51you were on the frost giant front before
17:53you were sent to the recovery wing. A
17:55dark-haired blue dragon priest replied,
17:58"Yeah, the frost giant border has calmed
18:01down significantly.
18:03They suffered a disaster as their
18:04actions broke a number of imprisoned
18:06dragons free of their confinement.
18:09There was a large volcanic eruption as
18:11well, thanks to an angry magma dragon.
18:14It's just a general mess all along that
18:16front, but not nearly as dangerous as it
18:18had been. Just cold, Carl replied. The
18:23Blue Dragon Priest wrote notes and
18:24nodded in satisfaction.
18:27That's what we have been hearing from
18:28everyone. Do you know where you're going
18:31next? The Hill Giant Border. From what
18:35I'm told, they need all the commanders
18:36that they can get to keep the incursion
18:38under control. and I have been accused
18:40on at least one occasion of being
18:42enthusiastically competent at that. Carl
18:45replied.
18:46Morgana chuckled. Well, that's one way
18:49to put it. The academy is sending all
18:52its ascended and higher students to the
18:54front lines for a training mission.
18:57There will be teachers there to keep up
18:58with their coursework and to help
19:00provide a measure of safety for our next
19:02generation of elites. Wow. It feels
19:05strange saying that when I just
19:07graduated and some of them are only a
19:08year behind me. The cleric side at the
19:11news that they weren't the only ones
19:13running short on staff. If the academy
19:16was mobilizing and mass, then the rest
19:18of society wouldn't be far behind. The
19:21elites had been living a pretty good
19:23life, and many of them were the sort of
19:25rich and famous that most could only
19:27dream about.
19:28However, when it came down to it, they
19:30still had a duty, and that was to keep
19:32themselves and everyone around them
19:34alive. The cleric across from Carl
19:37nodded. I will be going there as well.
19:41Most of the ones here now will be going
19:42to the frost giant front as they've
19:44already shipped out the high priests,
19:46but I got the draw to go to visit the
19:48hill giants. Carl smiled at him. You'll
19:52like it better. The other border has
19:55terrible weather and a little bird tells
19:57me that we can celebrate my birthday
19:58with a bonfire.
20:00Morgana gave Carl a suspicious look. Is
20:04that code for Hawk wants to see if the
20:05hill giants burn as well as the frost
20:07giants? Carl shook his head. They don't.
20:12We already tried and it's better to bury
20:15them. But everyone likes a good birthday
20:17party, right?
20:19Well, if your birthday is next week, we
20:22might not even be settled into the lines
20:24yet. Morgana replied. How is that? It's
20:29only a few hours helicopter flight from
20:31here. I know. We were almost to the hill
20:33giants portion of the border when we
20:35flew back. Carl asked. They have been
20:39shooting down our helicopters.
20:41Once they learned that trick, it became
20:43too dangerous to land near the border.
20:45So, it's either land in a safe spot and
20:47walk most of a day to the mission
20:49location or go in by bus. The bus was
20:52the obvious choice since we can't walk
20:54in with an entire line's worth of
20:56supplies. So, we're doing to have a few
20:58days worth of driving and possibly more
21:00if there are monster attacks or bad
21:02weather. That's also why you don't see
21:05many wounded elites from the hill giant
21:06front at the hospital here. They're
21:09recovering at a triage hospital closer
21:11to the border instead of flying them all
21:13the way back. the cleric explained.
21:17That was better than what Carl's mind
21:19had conjured up. When things got really
21:22bad, there weren't any wounded to send
21:24anywhere. They simply didn't make it
21:26back. Do you know what they're doing for
21:28deployments with the students? I'm sure
21:31with that many of them in one region,
21:33they'll be coming up with something to
21:34keep them safer than usual. Carl asked
21:38the others at his table. Morgana nodded.
21:41From what I've been told, they are
21:43planning double deployments, 10 where it
21:45calls for five and so on, along with an
21:48extra commander for every enhanced group
21:50that leaves the base. That wasn't
21:52necessarily better. Larger groups would
21:55attract more attention everywhere that
21:57they went, but the extra commander was a
22:00brilliant move if they could spare them.
22:03They must have only left the ascended
22:04ranked teachers at the academy for the
22:06common grade and awakened students that
22:08have been left behind, which would be an
22:09interesting event on its own. But there
22:11still weren't all that many commander
22:13ranked teachers in the academy. They
22:15taught large groups of students and had
22:18their assistants help out with the
22:19individual issues. There was far from
22:21enough to send one with every 10
22:23students. Or perhaps they weren't
22:26planning to send all that many of them
22:27out to begin with. If they were only
22:30going to allow three or four groups out
22:32of the camp at a time, then it would be
22:34feasible and the majority of the
22:36students would be with whatever army
22:37reinforcements or other elites have been
22:39sent to their location.
22:41Tactically, that made a lot of sense.
22:43But to Carl and the others in his group,
22:45it sounded horribly dull. If they were
22:48going to be stuck in a camp at the
22:50border, they might as well be at the
22:52academy. They wouldn't really be doing
22:54anyone any good, just sitting around all
22:56day. Even if there were attacks on the
22:59front lines, they had always been
23:01minimal, at least on the frost giant
23:03front, while the artillery did all the
23:05heavy lifting for them. He could keep up
23:07a barrier over the group without any
23:09real issues, unless they were either
23:11using royal rank attacks or repeated
23:13commander rank artillery strikes. It
23:16would be better both for him and for
23:18Thor if it didn't come to simply tanking
23:20the artillery, but if they had to, they
23:23could at least for a while. So, when do
23:26the buses leave in the morning? It
23:29doesn't sound like we're getting a
23:30flight, and I'm hoping the answer is
23:32early. Carl asked the others at the
23:34table. The golden robed priest sitting
23:37next to Morgana nodded. Yeah, right
23:40after breakfast. The replacements for
23:43the clerics who are being shifted out
23:45will be here by then, so it should be a
23:47smooth transition and then a very long
23:49drive. The roads have been improved all
23:52the way to the border in anticipation of
23:54extra traffic, but the wilderness is
23:56always unpredictable.
23:58Maybe if you're lucky, you will get on
24:00the train most of the way there and then
24:02a bus for the last 50 km or so to the
24:05border. That would be much better. I
24:08know I will be flying, but that's
24:10because I'm going to the frost giant
24:12border. Did you pack warm? You are
24:15certainly going to want something thick
24:17and fur, not just the cold weather gear
24:19that they issue. Trust me, it's
24:22terrible. and everyone fighting on the
24:24frost giant front does their best to get
24:26a replacement for it as soon as they
24:27can. Carl explained.
24:30I will make a note of it. We have
24:33thicker cloaks and robes in the store
24:35rooms, but the border is supposed to be
24:37starting to return to normal
24:38temperatures.
24:40Morgana smiled.
24:42Starting is the operative word there.
24:44Given a few more months, you shouldn't
24:46need it, but this week you'll be
24:49thankful for it. After dinner, everyone
24:52settled in for an early night, prepared
24:54to get as much sleep as they could
24:56before the long bus ride ahead. The
24:58borders weren't the only dangerous
25:00areas, and some of the areas that they
25:02had to pass through had recent monster
25:04incursions.
25:06They were at the common and awakened
25:07level, but that didn't really matter if
25:09they had damaged the roads or attacked
25:11the buses before the passengers could
25:13stop them. The plan was for the buses to
25:16keep moving constantly until they
25:18arrived and lunches had been packed for
25:20everyone while dinner would be made on
25:22the bus should they still be moving at
25:24that time. Given that the roads were
25:26previously soft dirt for much of the
25:28last portion toward the border, Carl
25:30didn't have high hopes that they would
25:31actually get there in one day, but he
25:33might get to let Thor out to help pull a
25:35bus convoy. A little extra traction was
25:38all that they usually needed, and Thor
25:40could provide that for them. The
25:42helicopters arrived during breakfast to
25:44take the clerics that were going to the
25:46frost giant border and to drop off more
25:48patients for the rehab facility as well
25:50as elites and clerics who had come off
25:52rotation. The buses were waiting and
25:55ready to go when Carl and his group
25:57loaded themselves in along with as many
25:59of the clerics as they could fit. There
26:02were no supply vehicles in this group,
26:04only personnel to get the number down to
26:06just two buses for the 60 people going
26:08with the hope that it would reduce the
26:10risks of them being attacked while a
26:12vehicle was immobilized.
26:14Breakdowns, flat tires, stuck in the
26:17mud, or a dozen other reasons could
26:19cause them to be delayed, and every
26:21delay increased the danger to their
26:22healers. "Are we ready?" The bus driver
26:26asked as Carl took a spot at the front
26:28of the bus, putting him closest to the
26:30door in case there was a threat. Carl
26:33and Morgana were the only commanders on
26:35the bus as Bob and Doug were in the
26:37second vehicle, so that put him first in
26:39line to respond to any incidents.
26:42They didn't have the usual security
26:43guards in the small convoy today, as
26:46they couldn't be spared for escort duty
26:47when there were already elites in the
26:49bus who could do the job. But Carl
26:51didn't really mind and Bob knew that the
26:53beasts would step in to help deal with
26:55most issues as Carl was in the lead
26:57vehicle. Yeah, we're good. The head
27:01count is correct. Everyone has verified
27:03that they didn't forget their gear and
27:05they've all been to the potty before our
27:06field trip. Carl replied. The bus full
27:11of clerics laughed, but Carl wasn't
27:13joking. The last thing that they had
27:15been advised was to use the facilities
27:17before they left, as the bus had a
27:19limited capacity.
27:21Not that anyone wanted to use the tiny
27:23bus bathroom any more than they wanted
27:25to be seated next to it after someone
27:26used it. They rolled out of the compound
27:29and headed for the main highway out of
27:31the capital, using the priority lane
27:33normally reserved for emergency
27:35vehicles. That got them out of the city
27:37in a reasonable time. And for the next
27:39few hours, the road was paved as they
27:42moved through the core of the Golden
27:43Dragon Nation. It was only when you got
27:46near the borders that the roads were
27:47strategically unimproved so that they
27:49didn't make it even easier for an
27:50invading army to come straight to the
27:52capital. But they hadn't had rain in
27:55quite a while. And the roads were solid.
27:58Dusty, but solid. Their speeds dropped
28:01as the roads got worse in the hills near
28:03the border. And by the time it was dark
28:05out, they were down to 20 km an hour or
28:08less, crawling through the rutdded dirt
28:10paths toward the distant lights of
28:12artillery shelling. That was a better
28:14start than any [clears throat] of them
28:15had dared to hope for. Carl had expected
28:18that it would take at least a day to get
28:20this far, and while they had seen
28:22monsters, none of them had been brave
28:24enough to come near the pair of church
28:25buses. Those awake, please ensure that
28:29the sleeping passengers have their
28:30harnesses fastened. This next portion
28:33will be very rough, the driver
28:36announced.
28:37Carl looked out the window and saw that
28:39the road was deeply rutdded in the
28:41valley from the last rainfall, and now
28:43that it had dried, that clay dirt would
28:45be as hard as pavement, with only a few
28:47routes that could be safely navigated
28:49without getting the bottom of the bus
28:50hung up on the ridges. Slow a little
28:53more, and I will send Thor out. His
28:56earthquake should be able to level the
28:57ground a little or he can smash down
28:59some of the biggest ruts with his tail.
29:02Carl offered, "All right, I will let the
29:06other bus know that we're stopping while
29:08he works." Carl had said the magic
29:10words, and Thor was already running past
29:13the bus, looking for the best path to
29:15smash so that he could let them through.
29:17He hadn't had a chance to smash anything
29:19in days. And this was tail smashing, not
29:22just charging a pillar in his space.
29:25the serero equivalent of a full body
29:27workout. Or perhaps the equivalent of
29:30leg day, Carl thought. He wasn't
29:33convinced that the Sero was looking for
29:35the best route for the bus as much as he
29:36was looking for the route that would be
29:38the most fun to smash to a smooth
29:40surface. But Thor was already at work,
29:42and the dust cloud was accompanied by a
29:44deep rumble that said he was using
29:45earthquake and not just his tail to
29:47level the road. The noise woke Morgana
29:50from a light sleep and she looked around
29:52in alarm before realizing that they were
29:54stopped and Carl was still in the bus.
29:57It's just Thor fixing the road for us to
29:59get through. Nothing to worry about and
30:02we will be back in motion in a minute.
30:05Carl whispered trying to avoid waking
30:07the sleeping clerics.
30:09As soon as they got to the border, all
30:11of them would have their hands full of
30:13work. So it was only right that he tried
30:15to let them sleep for now. Thor made it
30:17to the other end of the valley where the
30:19road was smoother again. But he didn't
30:21stop his work and smashed out the ruts
30:23on the way up the hill as well,
30:25resurfacing the dirt as well as could be
30:27hoped for until the next heavy downpour.
30:30All right, it's clear to go through.
30:32Thor says it's bone dry all the way
30:34down, so you can take whatever route you
30:36like. The right side of the road is
30:39fairly soft, though, as it had the worst
30:41ruts, and he didn't compact it after he
30:43leveled it. The noise had scared away
30:46even the smaller creatures, and for half
30:48an hour after Thor returned to his
30:50space, they didn't see a single living
30:52thing. Then they came across a few farms
30:56which were still inhabited, with a
30:57single red light illuminated to inform
30:59the elites and others passing by that
31:01they had nothing left to spare. The
31:04lights would draw the aid convoys from
31:05the clerics to them, and they would help
31:07them restock, so the farms had enough
31:09for themselves, as well as a bit more to
31:12spare for the next group that came
31:13along. But at the moment they were in
31:15too much of a hurry to stop. Plus,
31:18farmers with animals to feed in the
31:20morning would likely not appreciate
31:21visitors at 2:00 in the morning. The
31:24flashing lights of the artillery were
31:26slowly joined by the sound of rolling
31:28thunder as the dawn crept up on them,
31:30and Carl began to become concerned for
31:32the state of the border. That was an
31:34intense bombardment, and it had been
31:36going on all night long.
31:38If it wasn't enough to repel whatever
31:40attack was coming at the lines, then
31:42they were in for even more chaos than
31:44they had expected once their journey was
31:46completed. They only had a few more
31:48hours to the border. And even if his
31:50group got out and ran with the casters
31:52on the beasts, they would be there in
31:54the same amount of time or less. So,
31:57there wasn't much they could do but wait
31:59and hope that any changes in the rate of
32:01fire were good news.
32:03The radio communications from the front
32:05line crushed their hopes within seconds.
32:08Incoming giant charge. All hands to the
32:12lines. Prepare to repel. They were
32:15ordering. That meant that not only had
32:17they made it past the artillery, they
32:19had made it past the first line of
32:21defenders, and the camp itself was on
32:23defense. Estimated arrival 10 minutes.
32:27The voice announced.
32:29Carl looked at the passengers on his
32:31bus.
32:32Morgana, can you look after things here
32:34with the others? I need to go see a guy
32:37about a thing. He asked casually,
32:41knowing only those in the front few rows
32:43would have heard the radio broadcast if
32:44they were awake.
32:46Seriously?
32:48Morgana asked. I can make it there in 10
32:51minutes. The bus cannot, Carl replied.
32:56Do you think that one commander will be
32:58the difference? Morgana asked. for
33:01someone at will. Morgana sighed and made
33:04a shoeing gesture. Carl grabbed his
33:07pack, then opened the door and jumped
33:09out of the moving bus. From the bus
33:12behind him, Oilia and Bob McKenzie
33:14jumped out as well, with Oilia already
33:17transformed into Werebear form before
33:19she hit the ground running. Nobody else
33:21on either bus was likely to be able to
33:23keep up with them, not even Thor, who
33:25was quick, but not fast enough for this
33:28mad rush down the road. Like the other
33:30beasts, he would join them when they
33:32reached the battle. As they topped the
33:35next hill, Carl gave directions to the
33:37team. Thor, stay in behind our front
33:40line offensive. You're watching our
33:42backs until the clerics get to us. Ray
33:45will put the golems on our flanks. I can
33:48see the giants from here, and we're off
33:50to the side of the main line. The bus
33:53will come in on our left by about a
33:54kilometer. We will hit the side of the
33:57hill giant lines and push inward as they
33:59crash into the defenders.
34:02Make it fast and keep moving. There are
34:04enough fighters on both sides that
34:06wounding and crippling is as effective
34:08as outright killing. Someone will get to
34:11them. We just need to lighten the blow
34:13on the students. Bob frowned. Are they
34:17hitting the students portion of the
34:18line? Carl nodded. From what I can tell,
34:22yes. They're aimed right at them and it
34:25looks like they've focused their forces
34:27to avoid whoever is covering the
34:28sections further away. They were all
34:31breathing heavily as they ran past the
34:33shocked front lines of the academy
34:36students who had prepared a pike wall to
34:38block the giants while the mages were
34:40beginning to rain spells on them. Remy,
34:43let's see how the hill giants like a
34:45good blizzard. Carl shouted so the
34:48others would know that it was on their
34:49team. Blinding snow filled the air, and
34:52Carl turned the group into the end of
34:54the hill giant lines as he called the
34:56beasts out. The hill giants were
34:59stronger than the frost giants, and over
35:01half the group in front of him was
35:02either a strong ascended or a low
35:04commander rank monster. But Carl had
35:07been thinking about his past mistakes,
35:09and he knew what he needed to do now. 10
35:12points spent a brutality increases the
35:14size and strength of the target beast by
35:1610% per rank, 40% for commander.
35:2020 points spent. Shatter physical
35:23strikes cause vibrations through the
35:24opponent's body that damage organs and
35:26may break bones.
35:2820 points spent crushing blows. Blunt
35:31impact skills increase in damage by 10%
35:34per rank. Effective on damage caused by
35:37shatter. 40% at commander.
35:41One point remaining. Tier four attack
35:44skills unlocked.
35:4640% larger. There was a true monster
35:49among Sero, standing chest high to a
35:51hill giant, and the increased size of
35:53the spider golems made them look much
35:55more intimidating.
35:57But more interestingly, brutality had
36:00affected Oilia in warbear form. It
36:03seemed to be judging by height and not
36:05total mass, as she had gone from just
36:07over 2 m tall to a solid 3 m, and her
36:10axes looked tiny in her hands for a
36:12moment before they adjusted, as bonded
36:14weapons naturally matched their wielder.
36:17The first strikes of the spider golem's
36:19four legs sent ripples across their
36:21targets bodies and the pair of ascended
36:23rankill giants spat blood as their rib
36:25cage seemed to collapse. That must be
36:28the effect of shatter, Carl decided.
36:31That was verified when his maul hit his
36:33commander rank target and the giant
36:35folded like laundry in the wind, slammed
36:38to the ground by the strike. The giants
36:41had no time to respond. They were still
36:43being attacked from the front, and their
36:45momentum was carrying them toward the
36:46line as they tried to turn to face the
36:48surprise attack. A rain of hill giant
36:51spears and magical stones slammed into
36:53the refreshing lightning barriers
36:55through the snow, while dozens more
36:57missed them to dig into the soft soil,
37:00creating a tripping hazard for anyone
37:01moving across this area. But Carl was
37:04already pushing forward with the others
37:06at his shoulders. And the spider golems
37:08were rampaging through the hill giants
37:10while Ray darted in and out of their
37:12formation, targeting giants who tried to
37:14get around to come at them from the
37:16back. With Thor focusing on defense and
37:19Remy's blizzard and chain lightning,
37:21slowing their opponents who were already
37:23under assault by the defending mages,
37:25they were making quick progress across
37:27the back lines of the hill giant
37:28assault.
37:30For a moment, it looked like an easy
37:32clear, and then Carl saw a target much
37:34larger. Then the others, the leader of
37:37the assault, and most likely a royal
37:39rank target. Don't do it. He heard Bob
37:43shouting, but Carl was already moving.
37:46With the whole herd on his side, this
37:48battle would end differently than the
37:50last one. He was certain of it. The hill
37:53giant waved his hand and the ground
37:55seemed to explode under Carl as he leapt
37:57into the air to avoid the attack. He
38:00closed his eyes, keeping the dirt out
38:02and giving him a clear vision of the
38:04moment that the hill giant turned and
38:05fled, leaving a bodyguard squad of
38:07commander ranked giants in front of Carl
38:09and the others. "Bloody coward," Carl
38:13muttered as he parried an overhand chop
38:15by the closest of the bodyguards.
38:18The group's progress had been brought to
38:19a halt by the concerted efforts of the
38:21hill giants who were turning around to
38:23join the fight, making it obvious that
38:25they were preventing the human assassins
38:27from going after their retreating
38:28leader. From the line, a shrill bugle
38:32sounded, sounding so much like Thor that
38:34for a moment, Carl thought they had a
38:36Sero there as well. But it was a brass
38:39bugle and the signal to advance now that
38:41the charge had been halted by the ranged
38:43elites. The hill giants turned and ran,
38:46disengaging to avoid needless
38:48casualties. And Carl stopped his advance
38:50when Bob put a hand on his shoulder.
38:53It's over. You did good. The warrior
38:56reminded him. That brought both Carl and
38:59Oilia out of their battle fog, and the
39:02Berserker shrunk down to normal size as
39:04she let go of her rage. Though she
39:06didn't transform back. Oh, that's neat.
39:10She only gets affected when she's
39:11raging. She isn't beast enough when
39:14she's not. Hawk noted from above them.
39:18Ray and Hawk returned to their spaces as
39:20the other elites from the academy
39:22approached and Carl let Thor shrink back
39:24to normal. He was too big to have his
39:27head properly padded at his enhanced
39:29size. Tank came up and pulled first
39:31Oilia and then Carl into a hug before
39:34gently rubbing the back of Thor's head
39:36ridge, which caused the Sero to make a
39:38happy hum. Good to see you. When did
39:41your team get here? The big berserker
39:44asked. Just now. The rest of the team is
39:48still on the bus with the clerics. We
39:51were the only ones who could run fast
39:53enough to make it to the battle on time.
39:55Carl smiled, then realized that giant
39:58blood was dripping in his mouth from the
40:00splatters that had hit his face. Flaming
40:03body burned him clean again as Tank
40:05looked around in satisfaction.
40:07Well, it was good timing. I can't
40:10believe the attack leader took off like
40:12that. They're normally as single-minded
40:14as a berserker.
40:16Carl nodded. I was surprised as well.
40:20But if they gave up this easily, they've
40:22likely got another attack lined up, and
40:24they just wanted to know our strength,
40:26as this group is unfamiliar to them. To
40:29say that Morgana and the others were
40:30unhappy with Carl taking off without
40:32half his team was an understatement.
40:35It didn't quite violate the terms of
40:37their agreement as the rest of the team
40:39was technically on their way to the
40:40battle and might have made it if the
40:42battle lasted longer, but he was pushing
40:44his luck and he had left without his
40:46healers and support. The fact that Carl
40:49came back into camp covered in ash and
40:51wreaking of burnt giants while his
40:53companions were soaked with blood was
40:55not lost on anyone, students or
40:57otherwise.
40:58The team had gathered at the back near
41:00the bus, and the looks that they were
41:02giving the trio said more than any words
41:04they could come up with. The mixture of
41:06annoyance, anger, fear, and betrayal let
41:09Carl know just how unhappy they were
41:11with this chain of events, but Carl knew
41:13he would likely do it again if given the
41:15option. It had saved lives on the line
41:18by distracting from the charge, and it
41:20had made the Hill Giants retreat
41:21prematurely.
41:23Tessa glared at the trio and then
41:25sighed. You know what? I'm not going to
41:28say anything. You already know what I
41:30was going to say. Now go shower, you
41:34stink. Oilia giggled, looking quite
41:37innocent now that she was out of bare
41:39form, even if she was now even more
41:41soaked in hill giant blood. Yes, mom.
41:45The showers were fairly empty, as most
41:47of the line was still recovering and
41:49waiting to make certain that the giants
41:51didn't change their minds.
41:53Tank was there in the men's shower and
41:55in a much better mood than Tessa. That
41:58was quite the showing. Did you take any
42:00injuries? I can call over a high priest.
42:04He suggested.
42:06Carl shook his head. There are two
42:09healers in the group. Four of them if
42:12you count Remy and Thor. Five if you
42:14count high priest Doug. I'm not short on
42:17healing, even if they're mad that we ran
42:19off and left them tumbling along in the
42:21bus. But no, nothing broke my barriers
42:24this time. Well, you'll have an
42:26interesting group once you get your
42:28reinforcements.
42:30Tank chuckled. Reinforcements?
42:33Carl asked. Didn't they tell you? I
42:37suppose not, since you just charged into
42:39combat the moment you arrived. Two
42:42commanders in a 10-person group of
42:44ascended is the minimal size standard.
42:47So, you'll get one of the teachers or
42:49bureau advisers with you when you leave
42:50camp and a team of ascended students,
42:54Tank explained.
42:56Carl sighed. That sounds like it's
42:58actually going to be more hassle than
43:00it's worth. Will it at least be the same
43:03group? Tank laughed. The same group.
43:07With the amount of time that your group
43:09prefers to be in the field, highly
43:12unlikely.
43:13The first time you go out in front of
43:15the line, you'll traumatize a group of
43:17students and we will have to find new
43:19ones to send with you. Carl gave a
43:21dismissive wave of his hand. Normally,
43:24it isn't that bad, and when we've got a
43:27whole group rolling through, we can
43:28handle most things without drama. Tank
43:31smirked. I hear that you want to become
43:34a treasure hunter, so you should get
43:36used to working with random groups of
43:37opportunistic elites who are just there
43:39for the payday. That's simply how the
43:42industry is. But why did you want to do
43:45that anyhow? You don't strike me as the
43:47sort of elite that is desperate for
43:49cash. Carl chuckled. I've already got
43:53more money than I know what to do with,
43:55more than I would have earned in a
43:57lifetime in the mines. Ancient ruins
44:00have all the good stuff that my beasts
44:02need to grow, and the remnants of the
44:04system that will help me gain new class
44:05abilities.
44:07You see, I realized after our last
44:09mission that the ones with the most
44:10power get the most say. Only other
44:13overlords with influence can tell an
44:15overlord what to do. So, what happens if
44:18I can get my beasts up above that level?
44:21I have a skill that can help my beasts
44:23evolve once. If I use that when they are
44:26overlords, we should be able to move
44:28beyond that bottleneck. Tank looked
44:30impressed.
44:32So, you've got a class cheat skill to
44:34break a bottleneck once. I can see how
44:37you would want to save that for as long
44:38as possible, but do you really think you
44:41can make it to overlord without using
44:43it? Carl smiled. Just try to tell Rey
44:47that she's not the most deadly creature
44:49in the area, and she will soon prove you
44:51wrong. I have no doubt that they will
44:53find a way to make it that far. Rey and
44:56Remy can make at least commander without
44:58any outside help and Hawk has already
45:00shown that the class can help them go
45:02well beyond their limits. Rey doesn't
45:05think that the royal rank bottleneck
45:06will be an issue for her. So that means
45:08that it will be growing her from a royal
45:10rank princess to a monarch rank queen
45:12where things get tough. However, I might
45:15be able to get another teammate to help
45:17with that. Plus, there is Remy. Spirit
45:21snake seem to be unpredictable but
45:23powerful.
45:25The stronger one of the beasts gets, the
45:27stronger the other beasts get, and I'm
45:29dragged along with them. It's a
45:31symbiotic system. The Berserker nodded.
45:35It's messing with your mind, though. I'm
45:38not certain if you've noticed, but
45:40you're not thinking like you used to.
45:42Carl frowned. That naturally changes
45:45with experience, I think. Tank shrugged
45:49his shoulders, not pushing the point.
45:52Now that it was in his head, Carl would
45:54notice soon enough that his thinking was
45:55being influenced.
45:57It was already evident to everyone else,
45:59and he walked like a predator stalking
46:01prey with that same sharp look as if
46:03everything around him was a potential
46:05target or a potential snack. The only
46:09time that Tank noticed him acting more
46:11human was when he was surrounded by his
46:13long-term team members. Carl patted Dana
46:16on the head as he came out of the
46:17showers, and she resisted the urge to
46:20punch him as he was still wearing armor.
46:23Lotus poked him on the cheek, drawing
46:25Carl's attention. "We've got new people
46:28to meet. Are you ready now, or should we
46:31run away and play in the trees for a bit
46:33first?" She asked, "As tempting as it
46:37sounds to go make a tree fort right now,
46:39we should meet the people first. There
46:41is a chance that the Giants will be back
46:43tonight and we don't want to have to
46:45arrange things at the last second
46:47because we procrastinated,"
46:49Carl suggested.
46:51Tessa whistled and with a gesture for
46:53young men who all looked like they
46:55should be in the senior year, still
46:57wearing their academy uniforms with the
46:59silver ascended badges, came running
47:01over. Gentlemen, let me introduce you to
47:04the rest of the group. First, we have
47:06Dana, a golem mage. Oilia, a bear totem
47:10berserker, Lotus, a nature priestess,
47:12and finally, Commander Carl, a beast
47:15master. Everyone, meet the second half
47:18of our mission team. The hairless one is
47:21Mick, a sand golem mage who is good with
47:23traps. The short black hair is Olly, a
47:26defensive warrior. The blonde is Jimmy,
47:30also a defensive warrior, but with a
47:32specialty in evasion instead of shields.
47:35Then finally, we have Sheamus, our new
47:37bard. Carl looked over Sheamus, whose
47:40long auburn hair was pulled back in a
47:42braid. He had a small guitar slung over
47:45his shoulder, either a mandolin or a
47:47loot. Carl couldn't tell from this
47:49angle, and he looked utterly terrified
47:51to be here. "How are your combat buffs,
47:54Sheamus?"
47:55Carl asked. "Good, good. I mean, when I
48:00can focus enough to play. Until this
48:03week, I was preparing to go on tour with
48:05a folk music band. I'm not really a
48:08fighter, but I can use the essential
48:11bard combat spells well enough.
48:13Inspiration to increase attack speed and
48:16luck, courage in case someone other than
48:18myself is terrified of being here, and
48:21mesmerizing chant to distract the enemy.
48:25They have a considerable area of effect,
48:27so I'm better on the battle line where I
48:29can just play inspiration in the
48:31background. I am also superb with a
48:34dagger, but I will tell you right now,
48:36if you try to make me stab a giant with
48:38a dagger, I might wet myself. Carl
48:42laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
48:44No, I don't think that will be
48:46necessary.
48:47Just keeping a battle him active will be
48:49enough. I believe that you all met Tessa
48:52first and she has the favor of the war
48:54dragon. So, a little inspiration type
48:57battle chant should be just the thing to
48:59get everyone around us motivated. The
49:02only other question I have is Mick. You
49:04have sand golems, right? Are they
49:07upgraded? And is there one or two? Mick
49:10shook his head. I have six small ones
49:14goblin sized and easy to disperse.
49:17I don't know how much use they will be
49:18against the giants, but they will deal
49:20ascended rank damage from the knees
49:22down. That could be fun. They might
49:26actually be as much use when combined
49:28with your trap skills to trip, entangle,
49:30and slow the hill giants as they are for
49:32damage. But don't underestimate how much
49:35a well-placed slice to the back of the
49:37knee can an opponent. And
49:38they're small enough to run around
49:40between targets,
49:42Carl replied.
49:44Carl considered the new group strengths
49:46and wondered who they were going to get
49:47as their second commander, presumably
49:50Morgana, as she was his adviser from the
49:52bureau and didn't have classes to teach.
49:55But in this camp, it appeared to be the
49:56headmaster running the show, and he
49:58didn't know her as anything other than a
50:00student. Why don't we sit and get to
50:02know each other before we have to work
50:04together in battle? Carl suggested.
50:08Mick, the bald golem mage, laughed.
50:11Well, more like you get to know us.
50:14You're a bit of a legend in the mage
50:16classrooms after your hawk spent weeks
50:18torturing the awakened rank class. Carl
50:21chuckled. But Hawk isn't my only beast.
50:25In fact, he's the first of four now.
50:28Plus, it's more of the personality of
50:30the people than the skills. I can find
50:33that in your deployment orders, or at
50:35least the basics of your skill set. So,
50:37what I need to know is how everyone will
50:39react. Have Jimmy and Ali faced the
50:42giants before? Will Sheamus really wet
50:45himself when a spear flies past his
50:47head? You know the little life details
50:50that determine how you react? Sheamus
50:53sideighed. You joke, but the bard
50:56classes normally do morale work in camp
50:58when we're assigned to combat duties.
51:01It's more like an idol show. Well,
51:04sometimes at is an idol show depending
51:06on who they sent. I don't even know what
51:09I'm supposed to be doing in a combat
51:11group. It's not part of my training. But
51:13the academy says that every ascended
51:15class has some sort of utility in
51:16battle, and I've got to work on mine.
51:19Would it help if we had the nature
51:21priestess get you a bit stoned before we
51:23have to go to battle? Strictly
51:25medicinal, of course, Carl asked. The
51:29other boys from his team laughed, and
51:31Sheamus looked horrified, waving his
51:34hand frantically to deny the suggestion.
51:37No, that's a bad idea. It definitely
51:40won't help my use my skills. I can say
51:42that much for certain. Why don't we
51:45start with Mick? My own shortcomings can
51:48come later. Sheamus suggested.
51:51Carl shrugged. I don't see why not, but
51:55I should ask. How much field work have
51:57you all done? Mick shrugged.
52:00Seven missions, five of which were
52:02resource gathering. Jimmy and Olly are
52:05about the same since they were usually
52:07with me. Having six small golems is
52:10really helpful against common grade wild
52:12animals or monsters and for gathering
52:14resources after all. So, seven weeks,
52:19give or take, of which two were monster
52:21hunting. Carl asked. Mick shrugged. That
52:26sounds about right. But the monster
52:28hunting missions went longer than a week
52:30each since we forgot to bring a tracker,
52:32and it turned out to be really hard to
52:34find them. Even Tessa winced a little at
52:37that news. That meant they had done very
52:40little actual fighting. Ali, the darker
52:43of the two warriors, gave Carl a curious
52:45look. How much combat have you seen this
52:48year? You're still a first year, right?
52:52Carl nodded. I was with this team on the
52:55frost giant border as advanced scouts
52:58for about a month and then in the field
53:00doing monster influx suppression before
53:02that for another month. Then a couple of
53:04academy missions to start the year.
53:07Really? We've basically been in combat
53:09since the war started as we got trapped
53:11behind the frost giant lines. Sheamus
53:15eyes lit up. Oh, I heard a great song
53:18about you the other day. Hulk the giant
53:21slayer. about how an elite and his bird
53:23killed a thousand giants as revenge for
53:25making it cold. Hawk was startled. How
53:29did they know? I have no idea. I think
53:33that they think it's a joke. The girls
53:36were laughing while Sheamus now looked
53:38confused.
53:39Don't tell me you actually did it. I
53:42heard the song from a barred class
53:43student who had just gotten back from
53:45the frost giant front lines. He's
53:48somewhere around here if you want to
53:49hear the full song.
53:51Sheamus suggested. He must have been
53:54working the radios or in the dispatch
53:56office. Hawk despises the ice element.
54:00Hates it with a passion. And he's our
54:03scout, so he's always up in the air
54:05where people can see him. Carl
54:08explained. Tessa patted the shocked bard
54:11on his shoulder. Where were you during
54:13yesterday's battle? She asked. Right on
54:17the flank. I wasn't really in the fight
54:20for long and I was at the back. Sheamus
54:23shrugged. Ah, that makes sense. I was
54:27wondering if you had seen Carl move
54:28through to meet with Tank in the middle
54:30where the leader of the attack was. He
54:32left the rest of us to protect the buses
54:34and ran ahead with Oilia and a commander
54:36rank warrior. Sheamus just shrugged. He
54:41hadn't seen any of that, but Mick looked
54:43excited. Bob McKenzie. He came up with
54:46Bob McKenzie. the mage announced. You
54:50know Bob? Carl asked.
54:54No, but his sisters are super hot. I've
54:57had a crush on them forever since they
54:59first got guard duty in the capital in
55:01front of my apartment. Lotus giggled.
55:05Oh, he's down bad. Tessa smirked at the
55:08embarrassed mage. I don't think that
55:11down bad even begins to cover it. But if
55:14we do well, I bet there will be a chance
55:15to meet them in person. After all, their
55:19brothers are both here, so they will
55:20likely come meet them when we return.
55:23Then Lotus walked right up to Mick and
55:25Stage whispered in his ear loud enough
55:27for everyone else to hear. I would
55:30suggest that you don't tell the
55:31commander rank warrior that you want to
55:32bang his sisters. It won't end well for
55:35you. Mick looked horrified at the
55:38thought, and Carl took the opportunity
55:40to lead them to a seat in the mess hole.
55:43So, what do all of you do for fun? Any
55:46hobbies other than creeping on cute
55:48security guards? Carl asked. Sheamus
55:53reached into his pocket and took out a
55:54stack of collectible cards. I enjoy
55:57playing pocket mana. Mick shrugged. I
56:01just enjoy reading. Carl turned to Jimmy
56:04and Olly, who were the quieter part of
56:06the group. Olly frowned. I used to play
56:10football, but I don't think there is a
56:12team at the academy. That was always the
56:15thing for me. All day I dreamed of
56:17playing football, but elites aren't
56:20allowed in the pro teams for obvious
56:21reasons. Jimmy reached into his pack and
56:25took out a small wooden statue of a
56:26duck. It was only about 3/4 done and
56:30still needed details on the back half,
56:32but the front was very well done. Remy
56:35came out of her space to wrap around
56:37Carl's arm and examine the small statue.
56:40That is good. I need to get that good to
56:43make better totems. She informed Carl
56:46with excitement.
56:48Remy likes your handiwork and says you
56:50are very skilled. She makes totem
56:53statues with mud and basic water control
56:55and she's looking forward to making them
56:57as detailed as your duck. Carl
57:00explained.
57:01That is Remy. She is adorable, Jimmy
57:05replied, smiling at the venomous spirit
57:08snake as if it were a normal pet. Did
57:10you have reptiles at home? Lotus asked.
57:14And give my mom a heart attack. I don't
57:17think so. But we always had wild corn
57:20snakes in the yard taking care of the
57:23earth mice. They're not what you would
57:25call friendly, but they keep pests under
57:27control, and that makes it hard to
57:29dislike them. They have an entirely
57:32different pattern than Remy does. But
57:34somehow she looks friendly. Jimmy
57:36explained, running a hand through his
57:38tousled blonde hair, which kept falling
57:41across his eyes when he didn't have his
57:42helmet on. Olly tipped his chin towards
57:45Carl. What do you do for fun when you're
57:48not out making bards sing songs about
57:50your vengeance against the frost giants?
57:53Carl shrugged. Honestly, I don't have
57:56many hobbies. I grew up in the lithium
57:59mines, so I was always at either school
58:01or work. I also didn't really have
58:04friends before coming to the academy. I
58:06was the run of the school year, always
58:08smaller than everyone else. Oilia
58:11snorted in amusement. Now we all know
58:14why he's so violent. The repressed rage
58:17of a small man unleashed, even though
58:19he's grown now. I seem to recall that
58:22you were the one who scared half the
58:23hospital staff by roaring at them. Carl
58:26reminded her. "You made the spider
58:29tickle me," she replied, her voice
58:32taking on a rather ursine growl. Mick
58:35laughed softly at their interaction. "I
58:38see now." Carl's pastime is actually
58:41playing pranks and pushing people's
58:43buttons.
58:44After a few more minutes, the group
58:46broke up and one of the teachers came
58:48over with a note in his hand. You are
58:51with the new arrivals from the church,
58:53right? Commander Carl and his team. The
58:57aging mage asked. That's right. What can
59:01we do for you? Carl replied, "We have an
59:05update for you. The second commander for
59:08your team has been selected and a bunk
59:10has been prepared for you in the mail
59:11dorm tents." He explained, "Is it
59:15acceptable to set up my own outside the
59:17camp? I sleep better that way, and I'll
59:20be close enough to hear mission orders."
59:23Carl asked. That is fine. If you prefer
59:27an individual tent, they are set up
59:29behind the line. You can pick a spot and
59:32set up. But the commander who is
59:34assigned to the second half of your
59:36mission team has just arrived and he
59:38seems somewhat perturbed. So perhaps you
59:40could help set his mind at ease. Of
59:42course. Where might he be? Carl replied.
59:47The teacher gestured for Carl to follow
59:49him, and they walked through the camp to
59:51the bus parking area, where a
59:53familiar-looking mage in his mid-20s was
59:55having a smoke. He wore an officer's
59:58uniform with a colonel's bird-shaped
1:00:00badge on it. But Carl didn't recall
1:00:02meeting many colonels in his time, other
1:00:04than Valerie. They were one of those
1:00:06ranks who got stuck either in an office
1:00:08or leading a very large group of
1:00:10soldiers, so they would be in a backline
1:00:12command station, not anywhere near Carl.
1:00:15He looked up and gave them a rofful
1:00:17smile, which seemed odd to Carl. He
1:00:20didn't recall this man having anything
1:00:22to be apologetic for. But then he
1:00:25realized who he was. That was the silent
1:00:28general from the meeting that sent them
1:00:30to take on the Royal Rank Frost giant.
1:00:33If Carl recalled right, the man was a
1:00:35fairly accomplished mage, which would be
1:00:37useful in the team to keep Jimmy and Ali
1:00:39off primary defensive duties. The
1:00:42teacher introduced them. Commander Carl,
1:00:45this is Colonel Wilks. Colonel Wilks,
1:00:48this is Commander Carl and his team. The
1:00:51four ascended members you will be
1:00:53partnered with will be here shortly.
1:00:55Your teams will be working together for
1:00:57the next few missions. Carl walked over
1:01:00and shook the man's hand. It seems we
1:01:03have some catching up to do, General.
1:01:06Wilks nodded and took a drag off his
1:01:08cigarette, the smell startling Carl, who
1:01:10had gotten used to Doug's being
1:01:12distinctly not tobacco.
1:01:14Indeed, we do. Is there somewhere
1:01:17private? Just over here behind the bus.
1:01:20Parking is as good as it gets, I'm
1:01:22afraid. But I'll take the abridged
1:01:24version if it's necessary,
1:01:26Carl suggested.
1:01:28They walked away from the last of the
1:01:30crowd, and Colonel Wilks took a seat on
1:01:32a crate of food supplies.
1:01:35Where do I start? The obvious, I
1:01:38suppose.
1:01:39I have been relieved of my command and
1:01:41demoted to colonel, then sent to the
1:01:43front lines. The same is true for
1:01:46General Germanson, the warrior. General
1:01:49Orland is under arrest, but they likely
1:01:51won't demote him. Just hold him until
1:01:53the trial, the colonel began. Wait, back
1:01:57up. They arrested General Orland for
1:02:00sending us on a fool's mission, Carl
1:02:03asked. No, General Milton threw a fit
1:02:06about General Orland's disrespect in
1:02:08telling you two to go outside for a
1:02:10duel, and General Orland accidentally
1:02:12killed him. It just happened so fast.
1:02:15Milton drew his blade and before we knew
1:02:18it, he was dead. I don't think that
1:02:20Orland even realized what he was doing.
1:02:23It was just a reflex.
1:02:25Carl shook his head. What a cluster
1:02:28Colonel Wilks used the stub of his
1:02:31last one to light another cigarette.
1:02:33Tell me about it. There was only one
1:02:36high priest left in the camp and he
1:02:38couldn't cast resurrection.
1:02:40Then the rest of us spent an entire week
1:02:43in the tenderloving care of the holy
1:02:44inquisition who didn't believe that we
1:02:46hadn't conspired to get a ranking elite
1:02:48killed. And now here I am. Well, welcome
1:02:52to the hill giant border, I guess. I
1:02:55personally don't hold any sort of
1:02:57grudge. It was a mess, but the hospital
1:03:00counselor told me that I need to learn
1:03:02to not take those things personally as
1:03:04it's bad for my mental well-being. We
1:03:07all recognized that it was a messed up
1:03:09situation, but I already met with
1:03:11Overlord Drake, and he informed me that
1:03:13you didn't know about the other group
1:03:14who had been sent and went missing when
1:03:16you sent us, so that makes the bad
1:03:18intel, and the fact that the location of
1:03:20the Royal Rank Frost giant was off by
1:03:22over 40 km a bit more understandable.
1:03:25Colonel Wilks looked startled. The fight
1:03:28wasn't at the cave. Carl shook his head.
1:03:32No, they ambushed us where they hit the
1:03:34other group. They used the bodies as
1:03:37bait and buried an ambush team under the
1:03:39rocks and snow to wait for us to stumble
1:03:41on them. Being frost giants, even
1:03:44thermal vision didn't spot them under
1:03:46the snow. We had already located the
1:03:49cave using Hawk to scout, but we were
1:03:51going to rest overnight and hit it in
1:03:53the morning. Their conversation was
1:03:55interrupted by the arrival of Mick and
1:03:57the others from the second team. So Carl
1:03:59shook Colonel Wilks hand and gestured
1:04:01toward the trees. "If you need me, I
1:04:04will be in a spider silk fort just
1:04:06outside camp. But I will see you at
1:04:09breakfast." "Utred, commander. I look
1:04:13forward to working with you." Carl led
1:04:16his group away so the colonel could get
1:04:18acquainted with his new team. The extra
1:04:21mage would be a good counterpart for the
1:04:23team, but Carl realized that he didn't
1:04:25know what the colonel's specialty was.
1:04:27He had forgotten to ask. Carl led his
1:04:30team out of the camp, getting many
1:04:32strange looks from the guards along the
1:04:34road. They were going the wrong way for
1:04:36a mission and passed where the tents
1:04:38were set up in a clearing. Tree roots
1:04:41made for lumpy beds, so nobody set up
1:04:43that close to the forest. Then Carl led
1:04:46the team right into the forest, headed
1:04:48for a big tree where Ry could build her
1:04:50fort, but not so far in that they
1:04:52couldn't see the camp. That part was
1:04:55important so they could see who was
1:04:57coming toward them and react to any
1:04:59major movements on the line that would
1:05:00signal an attack. That's a good one.
1:05:04Let's use that one, Ry announced as she
1:05:07left her space and skitted up a tree to
1:05:09begin her work. She connected five
1:05:12different trees today, going all out
1:05:14with her fort. While everyone on the
1:05:16ground wondered what sort of mansion Ray
1:05:17thought that they needed for their home
1:05:19base here on the hill giant lines, it
1:05:22was enough that even with the silk
1:05:23blended to match the tree coloration, it
1:05:26still brought over teachers who were
1:05:27wondering what was going on. Carl waved
1:05:30to them and a few understood, but they
1:05:32were even more curious as they
1:05:34understood what was happening, but they
1:05:36had never seen it in action before.
1:05:39Commander rank spider silk could stop
1:05:41even skill enhanced arrows if it was
1:05:43layered and they had made such a large
1:05:45fort that they had to be planning to
1:05:46spend some time here. The line was
1:05:49unlikely to move but they had made a
1:05:51fort larger than the 50 person dorm
1:05:53tents for a fivep person team. It's a
1:05:56masterpiece.
1:05:58They're going to love it and I even
1:05:59decorated a little. Ry announced when
1:06:02she was finished. That got Carl's
1:06:05interest and he motioned for the team to
1:06:07go up while he spoke with the teachers.
1:06:09It makes Rey happy to get to try out new
1:06:12designs for her forts everywhere that
1:06:13she goes. She says, "This one is a
1:06:16masterpiece and it's not interfering
1:06:18with anyone else, so I didn't see any
1:06:20reason to stop her." Carl explained to
1:06:23the group that had come to see what they
1:06:25were doing. Can we enter? Or is it a
1:06:28personal thing to her? One of the
1:06:31warrior instructors asked. That should
1:06:34be fine. She likes it when people praise
1:06:36her hard work. Carl agreed. The teachers
1:06:41went up next and Carl laughed as he
1:06:43heard the gasps and laughter of them
1:06:45discovering what Ry meant by a
1:06:46masterpiece.
1:06:48He climbed up the ladder and looked
1:06:50around what appeared to be their new
1:06:51sitting room. As Ry had made a halfozen
1:06:53hanging chairs to swing in, and found
1:06:55that she had decorated the tree with
1:06:57necklaces of gems and bits of bone
1:06:59stolen from the dead frost giants. It
1:07:02had a very shamanistic vibe to it, and
1:07:04the magical gems glittered in the
1:07:06twilight under the tree branches. That
1:07:08led into a kitchen area where Lotus was
1:07:11already hard at work building counter
1:07:13space with plant growth and then open
1:07:15bedrooms with curtains between hammocks
1:07:17and one more large open room, which Carl
1:07:20assumed was for guests. "It's a whole
1:07:22house built in the trees in what, 5
1:07:26minutes?" one of the teachers asked.
1:07:29with all new beds and swinging chairs.
1:07:32Those are new. We didn't have those last
1:07:35time. Lotus added. Is this how you live
1:07:39on the front lines? The warrior
1:07:41instructor asked. It is now. Carl didn't
1:07:45miss the envious glances that the other
1:07:47students were casting at his fort when
1:07:49he came down with the others for dinner,
1:07:51or the gossip about the features that
1:07:53they had added inside, which sounded
1:07:55much more grand than the actual interior
1:07:56of the silk fort. It was more of a
1:07:59suspended tent than the palace that they
1:08:01made it out to be. But compared to their
1:08:03rooms at the academy, the canvas tents
1:08:05with 50 students packed inside were no
1:08:07luxury hotel. The fort was much less
1:08:10crowded and they actually had room to
1:08:12spread out when they were getting ready
1:08:14in the morning. The tents were so packed
1:08:16that you had to either take turns or
1:08:18equip your armor while laying in bed if
1:08:20you had a bonded set. Many of the others
1:08:23didn't have a bonded armor set as it was
1:08:26prohibitively expensive for the average
1:08:27student and not well worth the resources
1:08:30that they could have bought instead.
1:08:32Their growth rate was normally the
1:08:34priority for all of the Golden Divine
1:08:36Academy students. Carl was just an
1:08:39exception to the rule, and from what the
1:08:40others could tell, his group was either
1:08:42enjoying the benefits or they had all
1:08:44gained significant opportunities in the
1:08:46recent past. Do you think that they will
1:08:49be back tomorrow? One of the students
1:08:52asked as Carl and the others were taking
1:08:53a seat at the table next to him with
1:08:55their trays. I guess they're still close
1:08:59enough that the artillery is firing at
1:09:01them, so they must come back pretty
1:09:03often. The other student at his table
1:09:06replied, "Oh, we can ask this teacher."
1:09:10Commander, do you think the hill giants
1:09:12will charge again tomorrow? The boy
1:09:14asked. It took Carl a moment to realize
1:09:18that they were talking about him. His
1:09:20back was turned and he was in armor, so
1:09:22they hadn't realized he was a student.
1:09:25Carl turned around with a smile. Well,
1:09:28you got the rank right, but I'm no
1:09:31teacher. However, I can say that the
1:09:34chances are they will launch at least a
1:09:36small attack every day, even if it's
1:09:38just to test our lines. The giants are
1:09:41relatively smart. smart enough to know
1:09:44that if we start to slack off, we will
1:09:46leave vulnerable spots in the defenses
1:09:48that they can use to get to us. So
1:09:51something like today will happen every
1:09:52day." The boy asked, "I take it you got
1:09:56here very recently." This was a smaller
1:09:59attack. It only lasted 10 or 15 minutes,
1:10:03and the enemy retreated with most of
1:10:05their force intact. That's just a probe
1:10:08to see how we're doing with our
1:10:09defenses. I attacked forward into the
1:10:12lines to throw them off balance so they
1:10:14didn't think that we were too
1:10:15predictable and that was all it took to
1:10:17make them back off. Carl explained.
1:10:21Tessa wagged a finger at him. It's not
1:10:24nice to lie to people. You attacked into
1:10:27the lines because you thought it would
1:10:28be fun. Maybe a little because it was
1:10:31fun. Carl agreed. The other students
1:10:35sitting around them chuckled, and a few
1:10:37of them discussed what they had seen
1:10:38when Carl and the warriors had charged
1:10:40into the lines. That was drawing even
1:10:43more students into the discussion. Those
1:10:45who had been on Carl's side of the line
1:10:47during the attack and had managed to see
1:10:49something through the blizzard attack
1:10:51that Remy had been using to reduce
1:10:52visibility.
1:10:54I tell you, it was like a whole army
1:10:56rolled into the giants. Man, they just
1:10:59marched through the attack, cutting down
1:11:01everything like it didn't matter. There
1:11:03were commander ranked giants there. One
1:11:06of them was telling his team. There is
1:11:08half the academy here. How much
1:11:10difference could three more make? One of
1:11:13the other students asked.
1:11:15Yeah, that's what I thought. And then
1:11:17suddenly there was a 3 m tall werebear
1:11:19and a bunch of giant spiders and that
1:11:21mall tossing around hill giants like
1:11:23they were dolls. I tell you man,
1:11:26commander covers a huge range of power
1:11:28compared to ascended. One of the others
1:11:31insisted
1:11:33that was actually true. Commander rank
1:11:36went for a much wider range of power
1:11:37than ascended because the bottleneck
1:11:39wasn't just a number but a qualitative
1:11:41change. Before that, the lines were
1:11:44somewhat vague. But commander to royal
1:11:46was a very distinct cutoff. And once you
1:11:48were past the bottleneck, you would make
1:11:50a huge step up in power, leaving a gap
1:11:52between royal and commander that wasn't
1:11:54easy to bridge without the assistance of
1:11:56magical devices or some sort of cheat.
1:11:59Carl chuckled. I have class skills that
1:12:03increase size, strength, and speed by
1:12:05nearly half, including bonuses that will
1:12:07double skill damage and add secondary
1:12:10damage of a different type than the main
1:12:11attack. Even compared to other commander
1:12:14rank elites, I do a lot of damage. Are
1:12:18you like the world dragon's cousin or
1:12:20something? What sort of unfair advantage
1:12:22is that when you've already got three
1:12:24commander rank monsters with you? Wait,
1:12:27does that apply to all of them as well?
1:12:29one of the other students asked. Carl
1:12:32chuckled. It's primarily for them. The
1:12:36fact I can use it is just a little
1:12:38bonus. Oilia laughed. He says that, but
1:12:42he shoots arrows with commander rank
1:12:44chain lightning on them until his arms
1:12:46get tired. One of the kids pointed at
1:12:49Carl. I saw that in the snow. I saw
1:12:53chain lightning. That was actually Remy
1:12:56for the most part, but Carl nodded in
1:12:59acceptance that was related to him. One
1:13:01of the teachers gave Carl an intrigued
1:13:03look. With the power that you have
1:13:06amassed, "Do you have any alternate
1:13:08ideas on how best to keep the hill
1:13:09giants under control? We could make them
1:13:12part of a new art exhibit," Ry suggested
1:13:15helpfully.
1:13:17Carl could only imagine the level of
1:13:19horror that the students would have if
1:13:20they saw what Ry called an art
1:13:22installation,
1:13:23but it would likely dissuade the hill
1:13:25giants from coming anywhere near them. I
1:13:28can think of a few ways, but I'm not
1:13:30certain how viable they would be as a
1:13:32long-term deterrent. We could try to
1:13:34terrorize the hill giants into backing
1:13:36away from the border, but eventually
1:13:39they would likely come back with even
1:13:40larger numbers, and that would be a real
1:13:42mess. We could try thinning their
1:13:44numbers as well. And I saw the numbers
1:13:46from the frost giant front where they
1:13:48were summoning more giant clones to
1:13:50fight. If the hill giants aren't cloning
1:13:53themselves with magic, they might not
1:13:55win a war of attrition. Carl suggested.
1:13:59A war of attrition? Doesn't that imply
1:14:02that we can kill more of them than they
1:14:04do of us? The boy at the table next to
1:14:07Carl asked. That's right. It's not the
1:14:11best option, but if we can eliminate
1:14:13even 50 to1, we should be able to crush
1:14:15their population to the point that they
1:14:17simply can't attack. The other students
1:14:20looked at him like he had just said the
1:14:21dumbest thing they'd ever heard. And
1:14:23Carl felt the need to defend his idea.
1:14:26We were only on the Frost Giant border
1:14:28for one month, and my team killed well
1:14:30over a thousand. Given even 3 months, I
1:14:34don't see why the lot of us couldn't do
1:14:35it, he explained.
1:14:38the teacher side. When you put it that
1:14:41way, it sounds so reasonable. But that's
1:14:44simply impossible for most of us. Unless
1:14:47you're going to single-handedly wipe out
1:14:49an entire town, that math doesn't work
1:14:52out for those of us who are at less
1:14:53exaggerated power levels. From the far
1:14:56side of the room, Morgana laughed.
1:14:59You're not going to get to play that
1:15:00much on this front. You've got classes
1:15:03to take, rotations along the line, and
1:15:06even rest days in your future.
1:15:08the witch doctor informed him, but with
1:15:10the intent to encompass his whole group.
1:15:13Rotations on the line. Seriously?
1:15:17Carl asked. Most of the defensive
1:15:20tactics aren't a pike wall. That's just
1:15:22for slowing the charges. You will get
1:15:25used to fighting in a larger group soon
1:15:27enough. Besides, you're with Colonel
1:15:30Wilks, and he summons fire elementals.
1:15:33I think that him and Hawk might become
1:15:35good friends after a few fights
1:15:36together.
1:15:38Morgana replied with a smirk. Fire
1:15:41elementals.
1:15:43Like magma elementals, but all fire.
1:15:46That sounds neat. Hawk agreed. All
1:15:50right, we aren't quite feral yet. We can
1:15:53play well with others. Carl reluctantly
1:15:56caved under Morgana's demanding stare.
1:15:59I'll believe that when I see it. Don't
1:16:02forget, I've met your nature priestess.
1:16:05Lotus laughed and waved, knowing that
1:16:07Morgana couldn't see her sitting behind
1:16:09Oilia.
1:16:10Oh, there she is. Good evening, Lotus.
1:16:15As if speaking of him had summoned the
1:16:16man, Colonel Wils walked in with his
1:16:18team and gave a friendly wave to Carl's
1:16:21team as they loaded their plates and sat
1:16:22down. But no sooner did they get seated
1:16:25than the attack alarm went off and
1:16:27everyone began to rise from their seats.
1:16:30"Where is our spot on the line?" Carl
1:16:33asked Morgana as they prepared to head
1:16:35out. Last one on the right flank where
1:16:38you entered yesterday. Carl nodded, then
1:16:41turned to the other group who were
1:16:43getting ready to leave. Acceptable
1:16:45response time is 3 minutes. Shovel food
1:16:49in your mouth fast and then jog over.
1:16:52You've got the time and you'll need the
1:16:54energy, he instructed, then led his team
1:16:57out the door. It was strange to be going
1:16:59to battle without his backpack, which
1:17:01was safely stowed in the fort along with
1:17:04everyone else's. But that didn't change
1:17:07their arrangement, and the two clerics
1:17:08hopped on Thor, while Ry strapped Dana
1:17:11to her back, and Hawk took to the sky.
1:17:14Morgana was running alongside them,
1:17:16doing her best to keep up and nearly
1:17:18succeeding. She wasn't a warrior class,
1:17:21but those enhancements that she had
1:17:23tattooed onto her body were no joke.
1:17:26They took the end of the line behind the
1:17:28final few pikes and waited as the hill
1:17:30giants came into view. Where does the
1:17:33Remy usually stay for the battle?
1:17:36Morgana asked. Either in her space or in
1:17:39my pocket. Would you like to hold her
1:17:42for a while? Carl asked. The two seemed
1:17:46like they could be good friends with
1:17:47Morgana's puppets and Remy's totems.
1:17:50Morgana held out her hand and Remy
1:17:53slithered up her arm to loop around her
1:17:54neck and put her face right beside
1:17:56Morgana's so they were looking at the
1:17:58same things. Lotus giggled as the snake
1:18:01nuzzled against the witch doctor's cheek
1:18:03and Thor's refreshing lightning barrier
1:18:06stretched out to encompass her as well.
1:18:08Well, it looks like you're one of us
1:18:10now. The barrier only works on the ones
1:18:13that Thor considers friends. Carl
1:18:16informed her with a smile while Morgana
1:18:18gave the lightning Sarah a shy smile. It
1:18:21seemed to evaporate the aura of
1:18:23professionalism and made it obvious that
1:18:25Morgana was no older than Lotus or Tessa
1:18:28who had also graduated from their
1:18:29academy last year. The second team
1:18:32wasn't far behind, though they were
1:18:34running at a major speed, so they stayed
1:18:36together and they were carrying slices
1:18:38of egg battered toast with them, eating
1:18:40on the way. Chances are when everyone
1:18:43cleared out of the mess hall, they had
1:18:45been too embarrassed to stay. But if the
1:18:47fight didn't last long, their meals
1:18:49would still be there when they returned.
1:18:51It wasn't like the academy had kept
1:18:53someone back to clean up the mess while
1:18:55they were fighting. Everyone in the camp
1:18:57was an awakened rank or higher elite,
1:19:00including the staff, and many of the
1:19:01awakened ranked students had been left
1:19:03behind with the common rank students at
1:19:05the academy for their own safety.
1:19:08What percentage? Carl couldn't say, but
1:19:10there weren't many of them here at the
1:19:11border. The camp was almost all ascended
1:19:14or higher. The group under Colonel Wilks
1:19:17fell in between Carl's group and the
1:19:19rest of the line, looking much more
1:19:21nervous than anyone in the more
1:19:22experienced group. Even from where he
1:19:25was standing at the end of the line,
1:19:26Carl could see most of their hands
1:19:28shaking. Tessa smiled at the students.
1:19:32Sheamus, the giants are just over that
1:19:34next hill. Why don't you strum us a
1:19:37little inspirational diddy? Something
1:19:39with a nice rhythm. Um, okay. I think I
1:19:44know a good one. Do you have a
1:19:46preference? He stammered. Baby snake.
1:19:50Doo doo da doo doo doo. Remy sang in
1:19:53Carl's mind. It was a species modified
1:19:56version of the theme song of a popular
1:19:58children's morning radio broadcast which
1:20:00aired at 7 in the morning, making it the
1:20:02bane of parents everywhere. But how Remy
1:20:05had ever heard it was a mystery. Carl
1:20:08ignored the happy snake and made his own
1:20:10suggestion.
1:20:12Why don't we go for something fun? Do
1:20:14you know any drinking songs? A drinking
1:20:17song now? Sheamus asked. Definitely.
1:20:23See how nervous everyone is. A nice
1:20:26upbeat drinking song to take their minds
1:20:28off the battle is just what they need.
1:20:31Carl agreed. Sheamus strummed the intro
1:20:34to a popular pop song, then adjusted his
1:20:36loot and slid a metal tube onto his
1:20:38finger. When he strummed again, the tone
1:20:41was entirely different, and the nearby
1:20:43students began to laugh as he played.
1:20:46They were still laughing as the giants
1:20:48came over the hill and into attack
1:20:50range. All of the nervous hesitation was
1:20:53gone, and when the order was given to
1:20:54raise the pikes, the entire row went up
1:20:57in unison, as if they had actually
1:20:59trained the maneuver. From the hill
1:21:01giant ranks, thousands of rocks from
1:21:04baseball to boulder size were magically
1:21:06hurled at the human defenders, crashing
1:21:08into shields as the everpresent
1:21:10artillery fell silent, protected by the
1:21:12mages from the wrath of the giants's
1:21:14earth magic. The larger boulders
1:21:17exploded on impact with the shields,
1:21:19sending shrapnel everywhere and forcing
1:21:21the mages to work to keep up the
1:21:23barriers over the defense lines.
1:21:25Thankfully, their fort was far enough
1:21:27back that it wouldn't be in danger from
1:21:29the secondary damage. Just hold until
1:21:32the order is given. Carl reminded his
1:21:35beasts. Lotus climbed down from Thor's
1:21:38back and Dana got down from Ray,
1:21:40preparing to cast her Golem spell.
1:21:44Golem's forward, break the charge. The
1:21:47radio announced when the hill giants
1:21:49were 30 m away and already under attack
1:21:51by the mages. The spider golems only
1:21:55took three steps before launching
1:21:56themselves into the air, crossing the
1:21:58gap in a dull green streak of motion.
1:22:01But right beside them were two floating
1:22:03balls of fire. The fire elementals
1:22:05summoned by Colonel Wilks. Carl began to
1:22:09fire his bow, sending chain lightning
1:22:11through the attackers who stumbled under
1:22:13the onslaught.
1:22:15Haste, terrorize, and brutality all came
1:22:19online, increasing the size, speed,
1:22:22strength, and damage done by himself and
1:22:24the golems. That was enough that the
1:22:27chain lightning was actually stunning
1:22:29the ascended hill giants, who died in a
1:22:31spray of blood as the spider golems
1:22:33raced between them. Then the six small
1:22:36sand golems created by Mick, the bald
1:22:38mage student in the second group,
1:22:40reached the battle with Dana's stone
1:22:42golems, and the hill giants began to
1:22:44flail about at the ground trying to hit
1:22:46the annoying things slicing at their
1:22:48legs. The tactic was brutally effective
1:22:51as it left them vulnerable to the
1:22:52attacks of the other golems, as well as
1:22:55Carl's arrows and the attacks of the
1:22:56mages in their section of the line. Most
1:22:59of the charge was continuing, but their
1:23:01end of the line had completely faltered
1:23:03under the weight of the attacks. Then
1:23:06Mick turned the soft soil to soft sand,
1:23:08and the giants began to sink and
1:23:10stumble, turning the route into a
1:23:11massacre where they couldn't even
1:23:13retreat. Reinforcements from the back
1:23:16lines of the assault were on their way
1:23:17in Carl's direction, but they wouldn't
1:23:19last long as Hawk was bombarding them
1:23:22with fireballs.
1:23:23Mick was panting with exertion as he
1:23:25remade his golems again and tried to
1:23:27keep the sand trap active against the
1:23:29efforts of the hill giants to turn it
1:23:31back to stone, but Colonel Wilk stopped
1:23:33him. "That's what the pikes are for,
1:23:35son. Save your energy for later in the
1:23:38fight." The colonel reminded him. "Pikes
1:23:42forward," the radio ordered, sending a
1:23:44wave of warriors forwards into the hill
1:23:46giants with long spears in front of
1:23:48them, so they were out of the reach of
1:23:50the attackers. The mages were getting
1:23:52tired, but the warriors hadn't done
1:23:54anything yet, so it was their turn to
1:23:56take over while the mages slowed and
1:23:58regained their energy. "That's our
1:24:00signal." "Forwards on me," Carl ordered
1:24:04Ray and Thor. Behind them, he saw Remy
1:24:08create a totem in both of Morgana's
1:24:10hands for the witch doctor to hold up so
1:24:12they could fire over the crowd.
1:24:14Morgana was laughing as holding the
1:24:16totems prevented her from using most of
1:24:18her spells. But Remy thought it was a
1:24:20brilliant idea and she could just make
1:24:22more when they expired since she was
1:24:24attached to the witch doctor anyhow.
1:24:27Sheamus, we need a party song. Carl
1:24:30shouted as he raced forward with the
1:24:32beasts.
1:24:33This time the bard had a bit more
1:24:35confidence and his song took on the
1:24:37notes of a hard rock guitar as he began
1:24:39to sing along, strengthening the
1:24:41inspiration bonus as he followed the
1:24:43warriors forward. The rhythm of the bow
1:24:46in time with the music was a comfort to
1:24:48Carl as he ran forward, firing arrows
1:24:51twice a second and spreading chain
1:24:53lightning everywhere. Tessa speared a
1:24:56commander ranked giant, tilting his body
1:24:58back right before Thor gored him and
1:25:00tossed the body back behind the lines.
1:25:03That made a small gap, and Rey recalled
1:25:05her spider golems to join her ahead of
1:25:07Thor, establishing a breach in the
1:25:09lines, and leaving the outermost 20 hill
1:25:11giants cut off from their comrades as
1:25:13they were surrounded and eliminated.
1:25:16Again, as they had yesterday, the hill
1:25:18giants created barriers of earth magic
1:25:20as they retreated and left the human
1:25:22defenders to be tended to by the
1:25:24clerics.
1:25:25The actual losses on the human side were
1:25:27very low, though the number of wounded
1:25:29was straining the abilities of the
1:25:31healers assigned to some of the sections
1:25:33of the line. On Carl's end, it was
1:25:36light. But just beside them, there had
1:25:38been a few hill giants who managed to
1:25:40break the pike line and get into the
1:25:41mages before they were taken out. They
1:25:44were doing their best to take down the
1:25:46shields over the line, as without that,
1:25:48the Boulder artillery would devastate
1:25:50the students, but the line had managed
1:25:52to prevent enough of them from getting
1:25:54through to accomplish their goal. It
1:25:56would surely be the topic of their next
1:25:58few lessons, as that was the worst
1:26:00possible outcome for the defenders. But
1:26:02the students near Carl were in high
1:26:04spirits, still boyed by the lingering
1:26:06effect of inspiration.
1:26:08Good work, Sheamus.
1:26:10That's what we need out of our bard.
1:26:13Now, we just need to work on your song
1:26:15selections, so you don't have to pick
1:26:17one at random at the last second. Like
1:26:20the bedroom, the battlefield benefits
1:26:22from a bit of mood music, and if I left
1:26:24it up to the beasts, Remy would be
1:26:26singing Baby Snake. Carl joked. Sheamus
1:26:30choked on his laughter and played the
1:26:32first few notes, which made everyone
1:26:34else laugh as well as they realized what
1:26:36Carl was referring to. World Dragon N O,
1:26:41not that song.
1:26:43One of the older clerics shouted, "Oh, I
1:26:46take it you are up at 7:00 in the
1:26:48morning more than you would like." Carl
1:26:50called back. The man turned around and
1:26:53Carl noticed the red robes, which made
1:26:56him laugh. Oh, you're from the
1:26:58orphanages.
1:27:00That makes sense. I bet that any of the
1:27:03orphanage supervisors view the creator
1:27:05of that show as their personal nemesis
1:27:07by now, he added. The Red Dragon priest
1:27:11nodded.
1:27:12Exactly.
1:27:14That song is evil and it gets stuck in
1:27:16your head. Tessa and Lotus had already
1:27:19run off to help heal, and Doug was with
1:27:21a group of older clerics near a stack of
1:27:23bodies under blood stained white sheets.
1:27:26Carl was certain that they had at least
1:27:28one healing specialist who could
1:27:29resurrect the fallen instead of
1:27:31reincarnating them. So, it took him a
1:27:33few seconds to realize what they were
1:27:34doing. They had two clerics who could
1:27:37resurrect and the other high priests
1:27:39were granting them mana and energy so
1:27:41that they could get to as many
1:27:42casualties as possible before they were
1:27:44exhausted. If it worked out perfectly,
1:27:47everyone would be back on their feet by
1:27:49that time. And if not, they would do the
1:27:51reincarnation ritual and notify the
1:27:53church to watch out for more returned
1:27:55elites. With the number of recent
1:27:57incidents of them returning with skills,
1:27:59it was obvious that they needed to be
1:28:01cautious as some of them would
1:28:03reincarnate in a days and think that
1:28:04they were still under attack. If it
1:28:07worked out perfectly, everyone would be
1:28:09back on their feet by that time. And if
1:28:11not, they would do the reincarnation
1:28:13ritual and notify the church to watch
1:28:15out for more returned elites. With the
1:28:18number of recent incidents of them
1:28:19returning with skills, it was obvious
1:28:21that they needed to be cautious as some
1:28:24of them would reincarnate in a days and
1:28:25think that they were still under attack.
1:28:28Carl watched the hills in the distance,
1:28:30getting updates from Hawk, who had gone
1:28:32up into the clouds to avoid attracting
1:28:34the attention of flying stones and
1:28:36waited for news or the standown order
1:28:38that the hill giants had retreated far
1:28:40enough that those not on duty could
1:28:42return to their days.
1:28:47Angry birds inbound.
1:28:49Hawk screeched, then divebombed Carl and
1:28:52vanished into his spot. Carl was
1:28:54confused for a second. Then he saw a
1:28:57group of giant winged forms incoming
1:28:58from the clouds. Everyone, heads up. We
1:29:03have incoming.
1:29:04Bring the barriers up, he shouted. The
1:29:08mages who could hear him did just that,
1:29:10and the radio operators spread the order
1:29:12down the line. For a moment, they had no
1:29:15idea what Carl had alerted them about,
1:29:18and they were beginning to relax,
1:29:19prepared to call it a false alarm when
1:29:21the rocks and fireballs began to rain
1:29:24down on them from above. Carl focused on
1:29:26the incoming giant birds and let loose
1:29:28an arrow using chain lightning to lend
1:29:31speed and distance to the attack. The
1:29:34rocks naturally dodged the long-d
1:29:36distanceance projectile, but what they
1:29:38didn't realize was that simply not being
1:29:40hit wasn't enough, and the lightning
1:29:41arked to them. Anyhow, as the arrow
1:29:43passed by, it didn't seem to do much to
1:29:46the enormous feathered monsters.
1:29:49Carl had heard that dragons were the
1:29:50greatest threat among all monsters, but
1:29:53from what he could see, they might not
1:29:54be the largest. Any of those flying
1:29:57monsters could easily grab and carry
1:29:59away a bus. And while they were only
1:30:01commander rank, Hawk was utterly
1:30:03terrified of them. It was most likely an
1:30:06intimidation skill. But that didn't
1:30:08change Hawk's opinion of going back
1:30:10outside before those things were gone.
1:30:12Even Thor instinctively pressed closer
1:30:14to the crowd, recognizing them as a
1:30:17dangerous predator. Even if their magic
1:30:19couldn't easily damage a lightning sero,
1:30:22if they dropped him from a thousand
1:30:23meters in the air, it would not be
1:30:25pleasant to say the least. Flying
1:30:28monsters were the most terrifying of
1:30:30threats to most elites, and these ones
1:30:32seemed happy to hold at high altitude,
1:30:34hurling magic at the elites from a
1:30:36distance that most of the mages couldn't
1:30:37reach. Carl considered the options and
1:30:41then put Blizzard on the next arrow. If
1:30:44he couldn't hit them, he could just use
1:30:46a larger area of effect. With his
1:30:49brutality, enhanced strength, the arrows
1:30:52flew faster than any of the other spells
1:30:54except lightning bolts. It made them
1:30:57more difficult for the rocks to get
1:30:58sufficient distance from, though they
1:31:00were far from being a competitor to the
1:31:02barrage of artillery shells coming from
1:31:04the flat guns. Those were being pulled
1:31:07into action for the first time since
1:31:08Carl had arrived on the border, and the
1:31:10rapid fire shells were now filling the
1:31:12sky with exploding shrapnel. It wouldn't
1:31:15do much damage to a commander rank
1:31:17beast, but they had feathers. In theory,
1:31:20if they damaged the wings enough, the
1:31:23beasts would be forced to fly away or
1:31:25crash.
1:31:26The blizzard formed on the way up,
1:31:28making the attacking formation vanish in
1:31:31a cloud of white as the birds shrieked
1:31:32in rage, and Remy laughed in Carl's mid.
1:31:36Serves them right, throwing rocks at
1:31:38people. The snake giggled. The ice
1:31:42crystals of the blizzard were a slashing
1:31:43attack, and the sharpness passive
1:31:46boosted their damage 40% when the skill
1:31:48was used by the commander rank Carl. It
1:31:51was enough that the flight of birds
1:31:53began to reconsider their approach.
1:31:55But Carl wasn't done firing, and he
1:31:58launched more chain lightning arrows as
1:32:00the blizzard stalled and began to come
1:32:02back to the ground, only to be replaced
1:32:04with another blizzard enhanced arrow.
1:32:07That sent them scattering, and they
1:32:09parted ways so that Carl couldn't hit
1:32:11them all with one spell, but that put
1:32:13them in the range of more mages with
1:32:14long-d distanceance skills. While the
1:32:16dispersed formation spread out the
1:32:18effects of their attacks, the birds were
1:32:20becoming frustrated with their inability
1:32:22to get their attacks through the
1:32:24barriers. as from such an altitude, the
1:32:26mages had plenty of time to intercept
1:32:28them and nullify most of the power
1:32:29behind them. Carl also wasn't the only
1:32:32archer with the ability to fire that
1:32:34high, and the flight of rocks was slowly
1:32:37taking enough damage that Carl could see
1:32:38the blood dripping and their feathers
1:32:40becoming tattered.
1:32:42Soon they would have to retreat, so Carl
1:32:44just focused on spreading blizzard
1:32:47across as much area as he could, keeping
1:32:49them in the damage range. Then a lucky
1:32:52shot hit one in the throat, fired blind
1:32:54through another blizzard, and an
1:32:56enormous bird plummeted from the sky,
1:32:58coated in ice, and leaking snow out of
1:33:00its mouth from the tip of the arrow.
1:33:03That enraged the others, and Carl smiled
1:33:06as four enormous forms raced down from
1:33:08the sky in his direction. "Hey, Ray, how
1:33:11high do you think you can summon those
1:33:12spider golems?" Carl asked. Ry laughed
1:33:17and vanished into her space as the birds
1:33:19plummeted at terminal velocity towards
1:33:21the ground. All headed for Carl. They
1:33:24were almost on him when Ry reappeared
1:33:26100 meters in the air and summoned her
1:33:28golem straight onto the backs of the
1:33:29diving monsters.
1:33:31Their legs speared deep into the tender
1:33:33flesh of the birds. And Ry laughed as
1:33:35she vanished into her nest, avoiding
1:33:37falling to the ground from that height.
1:33:40Carl was still firing, and when the
1:33:42first bird was 50 m from him, a spear
1:33:45thrown from somewhere on his left
1:33:46cleanly pierced an eyeball, killing the
1:33:48bird instantly and leaving only one to
1:33:51finish that attack flight. It was being
1:33:53pummeled by spells and attacks, but the
1:33:56bird was determined as it closed on
1:33:57Carl. Jump now, Hawk instructed.
1:34:02Carl leapt into the air, twisting to
1:34:04keep the rock in his vision, and the
1:34:06bird passed between him and the other
1:34:08elites.
1:34:09neck," Hawk instructed.
1:34:12Ren slammed into the back of the bird's
1:34:14neck, shattering it, and the last rock
1:34:17skidded to a stop, carving a deep furrow
1:34:19in the soft dirt. "Good work, buddy."
1:34:23Carl congratulated him. "I know all the
1:34:26ways not to get eaten, but those things
1:34:28are scary," Hawk replied happily.
1:34:32Carl couldn't fault Hawk for that one.
1:34:35Bird to bird, they were a h 100 times
1:34:37his size, and they likely had a number
1:34:39of nasty tricks for dealing with other
1:34:41flying predators that they hadn't used
1:34:43against the humans. The bodies of the
1:34:45rocks were littered with damage, plugged
1:34:47with dozens of arrows, but few of the
1:34:49attacks actually made it past the under
1:34:51layer of their feathers, which Carl
1:34:53found to be as strong as Ray's silk when
1:34:55he tried to pull a few of them free. No
1:34:58wonder everyone is afraid of these
1:35:00things. Look at that. An arrow fired by
1:35:03an ascended archer didn't even cut
1:35:05through the flesh. Between that and
1:35:07attacking from a thousand meters in the
1:35:09air, most of the world couldn't even
1:35:11fight back," Carl muttered to himself as
1:35:14he examined the corpse that had landed
1:35:16closest to the lines. "That was where
1:35:18everyone had gathered to see what a bird
1:35:20with a 50 m wingspan looked like up
1:35:22close. It was large enough it could prey
1:35:25on hill giants and carry them away in
1:35:27its claws, a true terror of the skies.
1:35:30But it also had magic. Both defensive
1:35:33earth magic and offensive fire. While
1:35:36the students examined the closest body,
1:35:38Hawk flew back out and stealthily stole
1:35:40three for himself. They had secrets that
1:35:43he wanted. He was powerful, but they
1:35:46were powerful and scary. It was nearly
1:35:4920 minutes before anyone noticed that
1:35:51the other bodies were missing, and teens
1:35:53were sent out to go look for them in
1:35:55case they were wounded and escaping.
1:35:58Professor,
1:35:59they're not alive. Carl's monsters
1:36:01looted the bodies. They do that. Lotus
1:36:05shouted out to avoid being sent with a
1:36:07team to look for a giant bird that she
1:36:09already knew they wouldn't find. What do
1:36:12you mean they looted the bodies? That
1:36:15thing weighs literally tons. How could
1:36:17they even lift it? The professor asked.
1:36:21Don't ask me. It's some magic thing.
1:36:24They just whoosh, vanish into a separate
1:36:27space. They do it with the giants all
1:36:30the time, she explained.
1:36:33Why would they even want them? The
1:36:35teacher asked, not following her
1:36:37explanation.
1:36:39You know, snacks, growth, resources,
1:36:42decorations.
1:36:44On Morgana's shoulder, Remy nodded
1:36:46happily. She would negotiate with Hawk
1:36:49later as she wanted some of those
1:36:51feathers for her space and he had a lot
1:36:53of them now. Maybe she could get some of
1:36:56those colorful ones from the belly with
1:36:57the multicolored stripes. Those ones
1:37:00would make great ornaments.
1:37:02You know, there is just something about
1:37:04you that attracts trouble. Did you see
1:37:07how those things basically ignored an
1:37:09entire offensive line to attack you? One
1:37:12of the other students asked. Morgana
1:37:15laughed and patted the student on the
1:37:16shoulder before he noticed Remy staring
1:37:19at him from only centimeters away and
1:37:21dropped to the ground in panic. Damn it,
1:37:24woman. That's a poisonous snake. The boy
1:37:27shouted. Remy laughed, which opened her
1:37:30mouth and made her fangs drop, further
1:37:32panicking the student. As I was about to
1:37:35say before you freaked out, it's because
1:37:37Carl gives off the aura of a monster,
1:37:39not a human. They likely thought that he
1:37:42was the leader of the army here since
1:37:44there is nobody above commander rank and
1:37:46he's the only one who would feel
1:37:48different to them. Morgana explained.
1:37:51The student looked like he was
1:37:53considering the options much more
1:37:54seriously than Carl would have thought
1:37:56necessary. Then he spoke again in a
1:37:58suspicious tone. Are we certain that he
1:38:01isn't actually a monster hiding in human
1:38:03form like a transformation spell? The
1:38:06terrified boy asked. Carl laughed and
1:38:09Lotus smirked. "No, we had him checked,
1:38:13100% human. It might have occurred to
1:38:16the doctors at the rehab hospital that
1:38:18he could be a polymorphed spy as well."
1:38:21Carl put a hand over his heart and
1:38:23looked offended. "Such little faith in
1:38:26my abilities.
1:38:27If I were truly a monster, how could
1:38:29gentle souls like Rey and Remy stand to
1:38:32be around me? I've been framed, I tell
1:38:35you."
1:38:36The elites who weren't part of his group
1:38:38all froze in place, slowly blinking as
1:38:40they tried to process the fact that he
1:38:42had used the opinion of a venomous naga
1:38:44spirit snake and a bloodbath spider to
1:38:46vouch for his credentials as a human.
1:38:48But more than that, he called the
1:38:50bloodbath spider a gentle soul. Remy,
1:38:53they could believe she was actually
1:38:56rather adorable if you weren't terrified
1:38:58of snakes. But Rey, her favorite pastime
1:39:02was making it rain blood. I think you
1:39:05need better character references.
1:39:08Morgana informed Carl with an
1:39:09exaggerated sigh. Well, I'm not sure
1:39:13anyone would take the word of a war
1:39:14cleric or Lotus on the topic. And Dana
1:39:17went somewhere with Oilia.
1:39:19Carl shrugged. Lotus frowned. Why does
1:39:23Tessa get her profession mentioned, but
1:39:25I get called out by name? Because the
1:39:28reason nobody takes you seriously is
1:39:30that you're Lotus, not because you're a
1:39:31nature priestess.
1:39:33Your choice of goddess is like a side
1:39:35effect of you being you. Carl explained.
1:39:39Lotus frowned, then smiled happily. You
1:39:43know, that's right. Nature priestesses
1:39:46become nature priestesses because we're
1:39:48already like this. It's a calling right
1:39:50from the start, not something that we
1:39:52learn. You think that the red dragon's
1:39:55favor is something that is learned?
1:39:57Tessa asked as Lotus finished her
1:39:59speech. Lotus started to nod, then
1:40:02frowned.
1:40:04You know, I recall that you traumatized
1:40:06a boy so much that he runs away and
1:40:08cries every time someone mentions your
1:40:10name, and that was before you were
1:40:12confirmed as an acolyte of the Red
1:40:13Dragon. Maybe you have always been like
1:40:16that." Carl laughed at the memory of
1:40:19meeting the man they were referring to.
1:40:21The young cleric had been quite arrogant
1:40:23when Carl was making that book for the
1:40:25blue dragon high priestess, but the
1:40:27mention of Tessa and Lotus had sent him
1:40:29running. The ascended rank warrior, who
1:40:32had remained on the ground to stay
1:40:33further from Remy, looked around at
1:40:35Carl's group in dismay. What I'm taking
1:40:37from this is that you're all a bit odd.
1:40:40Maybe that's the secret. All of the most
1:40:43powerful elites have strong
1:40:44personalities.
1:40:46Those who don't seem to get stuck at
1:40:48awakened and then don't really progress.
1:40:51he noted. "Are you saying that you have
1:40:54a strong personality?"
1:40:56Lotus asked, looking down at him, he
1:40:59nodded. "Yes."
1:41:02And an intense fear of snakes. "Who
1:41:05could hate me? I'm adorable." Remy
1:41:08asked. Carl smiled and Morgana looked
1:41:11between him and the snake. She just got
1:41:14offended that someone called her scary,
1:41:16didn't she? I've never seen her try to
1:41:19act cute and offended at the same time.
1:41:22The witch doctor laughed. Is that what
1:41:25she's going for? She just looks offended
1:41:28like she slithered in something foul.
1:41:30One of the nearby mages joked. Remy
1:41:34tilted her head wondering what she was
1:41:36doing wrong that they weren't getting
1:41:37the message. See, that is adorable. The
1:41:41other just looks offended. The mage
1:41:44added. Does everyone suddenly speak
1:41:47snake? The snake phobic warrior asked,
1:41:50backing away as he rose to his feet so
1:41:52that there were two other people between
1:41:54him and Remy. She's really good at it.
1:41:58Out of all the beasts I've ever met, I
1:42:00think only my pet dog and Thor are
1:42:02better at conveying emotion, but Thor
1:42:04only knows happy and playful. Mick joked
1:42:07with a gesture toward Thor, who was
1:42:09playing kickball with some of the
1:42:10students. Offduty students may now
1:42:13return to your regular schedule. The
1:42:16radio announcement sent everyone walking
1:42:18toward camp, leaving only about a tenth
1:42:20of their total number along the front
1:42:22lines. All right, Carl is with me and I
1:42:25think the rest of you already have your
1:42:27assignments.
1:42:28Oh, Mick is with us as well. I'm doing
1:42:31the ancient history lessons today.
1:42:34Morgana informed them. Great. Straight
1:42:37from rock dust in combat to super dry
1:42:40history lessons.
1:42:41Mick sighed. Carl patted him on the
1:42:44shoulder. It's not that bad. Morgana
1:42:48finds the interesting parts of history
1:42:50to bring up. Though some of that is
1:42:52certainly because I'm most interested in
1:42:54the parts that might lead to system
1:42:56relics and rare resources for the
1:42:58beasts. Well, that has to be better than
1:43:01Professor Jones descriptions of his time
1:43:03spent exploring the catacombs under the
1:43:05capital. How can you spend 40 years on a
1:43:08career without a notable accomplishment?
1:43:10Mick sighed.
1:43:12Well, at least I don't need to worry
1:43:14about that. I have found a number of
1:43:17cool things already. Carl replied.
1:43:21Morgana gave Carl a sharp look, but he
1:43:23knew most of it couldn't be mentioned.
1:43:26The dungeon in the hills near the frost
1:43:28giant border wasn't classified, though.
1:43:31There was a mission not long before the
1:43:33war started where I went to investigate
1:43:35an anomaly and it turned out to be a
1:43:37combination of Yeti magic and a dungeon
1:43:39instance that had appeared beneath a
1:43:40cavern complex.
1:43:42There was a whole trial challenge series
1:43:44and a village of dark elves plus the
1:43:47dungeon instance itself. That's where I
1:43:50found Remy as an egg. Carl explained
1:43:54if they were already enthralled in the
1:43:55story, they would remember more of the
1:43:57lesson. Let's start there today.
1:44:01Why don't you describe the architecture
1:44:02and we will try to match it to an era
1:44:04and region? Morgana decided.
1:44:08Carl focused on the interior of the dark
1:44:10elf city, the mushrooms, the glowing
1:44:13fungus, the crystals, and finally the
1:44:15dark black angular buildings. One by
1:44:18one, he described every element of the
1:44:20city as they had encountered it, with
1:44:22the beasts filling in any gaps they
1:44:24thought were important. For example,
1:44:27Thor insisted that it was important they
1:44:29note that the short glowing grass
1:44:30smelled like mint, and Ry noted that the
1:44:32black buildings have been painted with
1:44:34blood in the past, but the stone itself
1:44:36was black, so you couldn't see it. Both
1:44:39of those were good points, and they
1:44:41helped Morgana narrow down the era and
1:44:43region that they had seen replicated in
1:44:44the dungeon, even though the dark elves
1:44:46made it fairly obvious who had built the
1:44:48city. When he got to the man standing on
1:44:51the platform preaching about the dungeon
1:44:53being open for the people of the city
1:44:55and more specifically his outfit,
1:44:57Morgana knew exactly when and where Carl
1:44:59had been sent to. But she wouldn't tell
1:45:01them right away, and she had the two
1:45:03students searched through the books for
1:45:05clues until they got to the section on
1:45:07the cult of the dark light host. They
1:45:09were believed to have been a world
1:45:11dominating army just over a 100,000
1:45:13years prior, and they were alternately
1:45:15believed by some historians to be the
1:45:17precursors to the world dragon church.
1:45:19According to their beliefs, the world
1:45:21dragon had not been born as a world
1:45:23dragon, and he had actually been an
1:45:25ancient Eldrich being from the species
1:45:27that had helped create many of the
1:45:28worlds that the great pantheons ruled
1:45:30over. They believed that it was only
1:45:33when he decided to devote himself to
1:45:34protecting the world that the world
1:45:36dragon had changed forms, taking on the
1:45:38aspects that were needed to obtain
1:45:40divinity and grant his blessing over the
1:45:42world. That didn't match with what the
1:45:44world dragon church taught, but it
1:45:46didn't directly conflict with it either,
1:45:48as there were no teachings about the
1:45:50start of this world in specific among
1:45:51church doctrines, only that the dragon
1:45:54gods often chose or created worlds to
1:45:56watch over. According to the textbook,
1:45:59many of the ancient civilizations
1:46:00believed that the dark light host had
1:46:02come to this world and slowly conquered
1:46:04the entire planet, bringing with them
1:46:06the power of the system and the ancient
1:46:08training grounds, now more commonly
1:46:10known as the magical dungeons.
1:46:12So, it's basically a fairy tale of the
1:46:15origin of the world, Mick asked. More or
1:46:19less. It might be true, but there isn't
1:46:22any solid evidence. The fact that Carl
1:46:25actually saw one of them interacting
1:46:26with the ancient dark elves and opening
1:46:28a dungeon portal for them is the closest
1:46:30thing to proof of their existence that
1:46:32I've ever heard of.
1:46:34Everything else about them is told as a
1:46:35legend, an oral history or religious
1:46:38belief passed down through the ages, and
1:46:40those aren't always historically
1:46:41accurate after 100,000 years. Morgana
1:46:45explained, "What is with the grass,
1:46:48though?" Thor insists it's important to
1:46:50remind you about the grass. Carl
1:46:53insisted, then took a blade out, as Thor
1:46:56had kept some for himself. "Where did
1:46:58you get that?" Morgana demanded, eyes
1:47:02wide with shock. From Thor's space, he
1:47:06kept some as we passed by. "My skills
1:47:09say it's not a growth resource for any
1:47:11of my beasts, so it's just growing
1:47:13there, looking pretty," Carl explained.
1:47:16"It does smell like mint." Mick agreed
1:47:20as he examined the faintly glowing blade
1:47:22of grass. "Do you have any idea what
1:47:25that is worth?" Morgana demanded, her
1:47:28voice rising through the octaves.
1:47:30I don't even know what it is. I couldn't
1:47:33find it in any of the books. Carl
1:47:36replied evenly, not sure why she was
1:47:38getting hysterical.
1:47:40It was an awakened rank magical
1:47:42resource, not even a great food source
1:47:44for a commander rank lightning ser.
1:47:47Morgana put on a pair of latex gloves
1:47:49and gently took the blade of grass from
1:47:51Carl's hands to put it in a sealed jar.
1:47:54She looked so relieved that it was safe
1:47:56that Remy couldn't resist and picked one
1:47:58from her swamp, which she had planted
1:48:00from the ones in Thor's field, and came
1:48:02out to give Morgana another one. There
1:48:05are more of them. Thank you, Remy, but I
1:48:08can't take your treasure. Morgana
1:48:11informed the snake. Remy just put it in
1:48:14her hands, then smiled and returned to
1:48:16her space. It is literally growing in
1:48:19her swamp. She planted it near her altar
1:48:22because the glow makes for a pretty
1:48:24backlight at night. Carl explained. "So,
1:48:28this will grow back?" Morgana asked.
1:48:32"Yeah, fairly quickly, if I recall
1:48:35correctly, it's one of the plants that
1:48:37Thor needs to prune so it doesn't spread
1:48:39out of its allocated space," Carl
1:48:42explained. "Well, this should prove that
1:48:45you were really in the Underdark.
1:48:47This is black elf grass. It only grows
1:48:50deep underground, and it is considered
1:48:52to be very nearly extinct. There are
1:48:55dozens of disguise and anti-aging
1:48:57potions that can't be made without it.
1:49:00You've likely never heard of the deep
1:49:02light face creams, but a jar goes for
1:49:04more than the average house, and this is
1:49:06the primary ingredient," Morgana
1:49:09explained.
1:49:10Carl winked at the witch doctor. "Aren't
1:49:13you a bit young to be worrying about
1:49:15anti-aging products?" Mick chuckled with
1:49:18his hand covering his mouth. Indeed,
1:49:21Morgana still looked her age, and she
1:49:23would be under 19 if she had just
1:49:25graduated.
1:49:26Even among the elites, who were all of
1:49:28the younger generation, she was among
1:49:30the youngest. Morgana smiled. I don't
1:49:34care about face creams, but I am a witch
1:49:38doctor. One of my abilities allows me to
1:49:41make a transformation potion with that
1:49:43grass. I have been looking for it for
1:49:45ages. And now I have not just one but
1:49:48two whole blades. My magic can fully
1:49:51transform someone for one full moon
1:49:53cycle. Not just their face's appearance,
1:49:56their entire appearance.
1:49:58Mick gave a low whistle of appreciation
1:50:01and Carl smiled. Just think. Lotus could
1:50:05be not short for an entire moon cycle.
1:50:08Carl noted. Why not just say tall? Mick
1:50:12asked. "It's magic, not a miracle."
1:50:16Morgana laughed. "It's a commander rank
1:50:20potion. It could have you and Lotus swap
1:50:22appearances for the duration if you both
1:50:24used it." Carl considered that for a
1:50:27moment. She would go insane with
1:50:30jealousy, seeing her own body get to pet
1:50:32all the monsters whenever I wanted.
1:50:35Morgana couldn't help but laugh at the
1:50:37mental image of Carl transformed into
1:50:39Lotus, taunting her by playing with
1:50:41monsters all day long while she was
1:50:42stuck as him with no monsters. That's
1:50:45evil in a whole new way that I hadn't
1:50:47even considered. Only a nature priestess
1:50:50could be tortured that way. The witch
1:50:53doctor replied, shaking her head in
1:50:55dismay. Mick nodded. I don't see the
1:50:59issue, though. The guy who freaked out
1:51:00about Remy could be tortured that way.
1:51:03I'm certain it would be like watching a
1:51:05liveaction nightmare or the Bimbo
1:51:08Brigade. They're all terrified of
1:51:10spiders.
1:51:12Morgana gave him a concerned look.
1:51:14Sorry, there a group of girls from the
1:51:16senior class who are extra to us
1:51:18nerdy sorts. They've all got high paying
1:51:22corporate careers lined up from their
1:51:23ultra-wealthy families, and I'm a
1:51:25favorite target since I went bald long
1:51:27before I shaved my head. Mick explained.
1:51:32Carl patted him on the shoulder. I
1:51:34should introduce you to a good friend of
1:51:36mine, Skittles.
1:51:38He specializes in helping people work
1:51:40through internalized issues. If you ask
1:51:43high priest Doug McKenzie, he should be
1:51:45able to hook you up with a good referral
1:51:47after all this on the border is
1:51:49finished. Mick smiled. His name is
1:51:52Skittles.
1:51:54Carl shook his head. No, it's just a
1:51:57nickname that the high priest gave him,
1:51:59but it's stuck and it's better than his
1:52:01actual name. He's also a nature priest
1:52:04and very relaxed about any sort of issue
1:52:07you want to work through. Very easy to
1:52:09talk to. I will talk to the high priest
1:52:12later. I know who you mean. He's here as
1:52:15a teacher now, right? Wilderness
1:52:18survival, if I recall. Carl and Morgana
1:52:22both nodded while the witch doctor
1:52:24worked to keep her thoughts on Doug
1:52:25McKenzie as a person to herself. Carl
1:52:28seemed to recall that there was
1:52:29something between Mick or his group and
1:52:31Doug's sisters, but he let that thought
1:52:33fade. If it were important, it would
1:52:36come back to him later. All right, let's
1:52:39get back to the lesson. Now, we have
1:52:42found the basics about the Dark Light
1:52:43host. So, what we need to get into are
1:52:45the building styles of that era where
1:52:47many of the world's dungeons, instances,
1:52:50and magical trials were founded. Morgana
1:52:53diverted them back on topic. After an
1:52:56afternoon of lessons, Carl was ready for
1:52:58a good meal and a full night's sleep.
1:53:01His group wasn't on defense detail
1:53:03today, so they had all night to
1:53:05themselves unless there was an attack
1:53:06that made it past the artillery and the
1:53:08roaming scouts that the army had in
1:53:10front of them. It was a strange feeling
1:53:12not having a battle to go to in the
1:53:14morning or other immediate obligations.
1:53:17Carl and the other students only had
1:53:19classes in the afternoon while the
1:53:21clerics helped out all day at the
1:53:22treatment facility or the kitchens
1:53:24depending on their preference.
1:53:27So when the sun was already well above
1:53:29the horizon, Carl finally dragged
1:53:31himself out of bed and found a vigilant
1:53:33new group headed to the line prepared
1:53:35for whatever the hill giants threw at
1:53:37them. They were all well aware that the
1:53:39situation could change in seconds and
1:53:41the first barrage of an attack was often
1:53:43the most deadly as the defenders could
1:53:45be caught off guard and the bombardment
1:53:47might make it through their spells. It
1:53:50was standard to relax the defensive
1:53:52barriers when they weren't under attack.
1:53:53So, the mages had more mana available
1:53:55when they actually needed it, but that
1:53:58came with the risk that they wouldn't
1:54:00increase them enough to block the first
1:54:01incoming spells when the attack did
1:54:03come. First up was breakfast, then a bit
1:54:06of physical conditioning training with
1:54:08the other students with everyone making
1:54:10sure that while they did get their
1:54:11necessary workout, they weren't too
1:54:13tired to answer if the call came that an
1:54:15attack was imminent. Mostly it was
1:54:18maintenance weightlifting, stretches,
1:54:20calisthenics, and so on. That kept all
1:54:23the muscles in peak form without burning
1:54:26so much energy that they would lose
1:54:27combat effectiveness.
1:54:30Then after lunch, it was back to history
1:54:32and geography lessons with Morgana, but
1:54:34this time accompanied by a dozen other
1:54:36mages who were also taking the geography
1:54:39class. Are history and geography not a
1:54:42normal warrior class education path?
1:54:45Like, do they just show up in places and
1:54:47add them to their mental knowledge when
1:54:49they arrive? Carl asked as he looked
1:54:51around at all the other students in the
1:54:53group. One of the mages laughed.
1:54:56Actually, you might be on to something.
1:54:59If the warriors need to know something
1:55:01about an area, they learn when they
1:55:03arrive or it's in the mission briefing.
1:55:06These classes are usually for the ones
1:55:08who have no intentions of going there
1:55:10themselves or the ones who are the most
1:55:12interested in what they will find there.
1:55:14So, we have a couple of other treasure
1:55:16seekers, mostly after legendary magical
1:55:19items. And you, who is here for what?
1:55:22monster food. Perhaps signs of a
1:55:25legendary divine beast's nest for your
1:55:27next companion. If you can, I recommend
1:55:30looking for the nest of the rocks that
1:55:32attacked the other day. They're like a
1:55:34transport and aerial attack force
1:55:36combined, and they're seriously
1:55:38powerful. Carl considered that idea. A
1:55:42huge flying transport would actually be
1:55:44quite convenient. However, the Rocks
1:55:47were commander rank beasts just like
1:55:49Rey. And if he was going to use the
1:55:51beast's growth to push everyone to the
1:55:53next level, he would need something that
1:55:55was guaranteed to have a higher
1:55:56potential than that. Remy might, there
1:55:59was no telling what power level her
1:56:01parents were at, as she was created
1:56:03inside a dungeon, and the magic of those
1:56:05places was unpredictable.
1:56:07She might be royal rank, or she might
1:56:09peak right where she was at as ascended.
1:56:12But the fact that she was born ascended
1:56:14rank did suggest that she had a lot of
1:56:16potential, even if she was slower to
1:56:18grow to adulthood than the others.
1:56:20Honestly, Carl was in no hurry to add
1:56:23anyone more to their team. If he made it
1:56:26to royal rank, he would have the ability
1:56:28to add another space, but as long as
1:56:30everyone was growing smoothly, he would
1:56:32take his time and try to find just the
1:56:34right beast and not hurry to find
1:56:35another member. Or perhaps fate would do
1:56:38it for him. likely in egg form if past
1:56:42experience was anything to go by. All
1:56:44right, the first thing we will start
1:56:46with are the known ancient excavations
1:56:48within the Golden Dragon Nation. Those
1:56:51are the safest of the regions to
1:56:53explore, and while they have been more
1:56:54extensively visited, they are also a
1:56:57guide point to your future explorations.
1:57:00Each of them will give you an idea by
1:57:01their location and construction of what
1:57:03the continent looked like at the time
1:57:04that they were built. Some of them were
1:57:07built along rivers that no longer exist.
1:57:09And that gives us an idea of where else
1:57:11we should be searching for similar
1:57:13relics. In the past, most nations built
1:57:16along rivers for the abundant water
1:57:18sources.
1:57:20So, following ancient riverbeds and
1:57:22lakes found at known sites is an
1:57:23essential skill to the study of ancient
1:57:25geography.
1:57:27For example, who is familiar with the
1:57:29ruins of the world dragon temple at
1:57:31Whitten in the Beastin lands? Morgana
1:57:34asked, then paused to see if anyone was
1:57:36familiar with the story. Carl had never
1:57:39heard of it, but one of the mages had. I
1:57:42heard that it's still occupied by world
1:57:44dragon priests, and they say that it has
1:57:46always been like forever. As long as
1:57:49there are records, the Witten Temple has
1:57:52been occupied.
1:57:53He answered, "Exactly.
1:57:57According to the world dragon clerics,
1:57:59it is one of the original world dragon
1:58:01temples. And while it has been destroyed
1:58:03during attacks a number of times,
1:58:04rebuilt and renovated, every map ever
1:58:07produced shows it in the same spot,
1:58:09Morgana explained.
1:58:12She brought out a map book and began to
1:58:14flip through the pages for them with the
1:58:15book tilted on a stand so they could all
1:58:18see. The originals of these maps are all
1:58:21thousands of years apart. And as you can
1:58:23see, the oldest don't show Chipinrith
1:58:25Lake, but a massive desert. But here in
1:58:28the middle, some of them show a much
1:58:30larger inland sea. The students looked
1:58:33confused.
1:58:35But isn't the lake hundreds of meters
1:58:37deep? Like so deep that no light reaches
1:58:40the bottom of the deepest parts? Morgana
1:58:43nodded. That is correct, but apparently
1:58:46that was not always the case. What
1:58:49happened has been lost to history, but
1:58:51we do know that at some point during the
1:58:53end of the system era, entire mountain
1:58:55ranges were leveled while others were
1:58:57formed. That might be the case for the
1:59:00desert. The aftermath of a battle
1:59:02between demagods might have made the
1:59:04crater that became an inland sea and
1:59:06then eventually leveled out to a massive
1:59:08lake. One of the mages laughed.
1:59:12So, geography is a history lesson as
1:59:14well. Morgana smiled. It's inevitable
1:59:19really. Even the borders are a history
1:59:21story. And the frost giant border is
1:59:24about to be rewritten after this war.
1:59:26Where it will end up is a mystery, but
1:59:28the new territory claimed by the magma
1:59:30dragon around the erupted volcano will
1:59:32most likely gain its own territorial
1:59:34notation.
1:59:36Now, as you can see, the largest
1:59:38population center is obviously the
1:59:40capital, but there are others along the
1:59:42rivers, especially ones with deep water
1:59:44all the way to Chipanrith Lake. In
1:59:47better times, that was a major trade
1:59:49route between not only us and the
1:59:51Beastkin Nation, but also down the Great
1:59:53River through the wilds and to the
1:59:55ocean. Now, most ocean shipping goes
1:59:58overland to the shore, which is both
2:00:00slower and more dangerous, as it puts
2:00:02goods perilously close to the frost
2:00:04giant nation, who has a much larger
2:00:06ocean front. One of the students pointed
2:00:09at the Wilds, the officially unclaimed
2:00:11lands between the Beastkin Nation
2:00:13southern border and the ocean. The
2:00:16Wild's borders extended all along the
2:00:18southern end of the Beastkin Nation and
2:00:20the marked west side of Golden Dragon
2:00:22Nation's claim as the territory reached
2:00:24south toward the ocean. Why haven't
2:00:26there been efforts to claim the wilds? I
2:00:29mean, we could have more ocean access to
2:00:31ship around the continent and get
2:00:33supplies.
2:00:35One of the other students asked, "There
2:00:37have been. What we managed to claim from
2:00:40the monsters was that narrow strip at
2:00:42the south of the nation. Even that is
2:00:45difficult to hold and there are constant
2:00:47battles around the border as the
2:00:48monsters try to take back their natural
2:00:50territory. If not for the constant
2:00:53effort, we would be completely
2:00:54landlocked,"
2:00:56Morgana explained.
2:00:58Carl didn't know how much of what they
2:01:00used came from other nations, but he did
2:01:02recall that many of the coal mines were
2:01:04in the southern hills. Even if it
2:01:06weren't for the ocean access, that
2:01:08region was still of significant
2:01:10importance to the people. The next
2:01:12morning, there was no attack on their
2:01:14section of the line, but the hill giants
2:01:16tested other sections further west down
2:01:18the border. It was oddly serene with the
2:01:21artillery in the distance giving a
2:01:23steady thunder, nearly below hearing,
2:01:25setting a rhythm for the day's
2:01:27activities.
2:01:28Physical training, a rotation on the
2:01:30front line, where Carl waited patiently
2:01:32for something to happen and then classes
2:01:34in the afternoon. The following day was
2:01:37an afternoon rotation on the line. So he
2:01:40had classes in the morning. The third
2:01:42day he was off the line again. So he had
2:01:44the morning free to train and work on
2:01:46his meditation to build the strength of
2:01:48his beasts. By the sixth day without an
2:01:51attack on the line, it was becoming a
2:01:53smooth routine. But Carl was becoming
2:01:55nervous. They hadn't hit the hill giants
2:01:58that hard. So they weren't retreating
2:02:00because of the casualties.
2:02:03No, they were up to something. and their
2:02:05earth magic kept the Golden Dragon army
2:02:07from sending scout planes far enough
2:02:09inland to find out where they were
2:02:10massing troops. Every tiny village had
2:02:13at least one elder who had been taught
2:02:15the trick to anti-aircraft fire, and it
2:02:17didn't take much to shoot down the scout
2:02:19planes. "You look twitchy," Tessa noted
2:02:23as they finished dinner in the fort.
2:02:26They hadn't eaten dinner in the mess
2:02:27hall since the first day, only breakfast
2:02:29and lunch, so that they would be able to
2:02:31keep up with the news and orders more
2:02:33easily.
2:02:34The food was mostly canned everything.
2:02:37Even the bread came from cans. The idea
2:02:40was that it would lessen the strain on
2:02:42the clerics so they could just heal and
2:02:44not worry about dealing with the food
2:02:46supply. But the quality of the long
2:02:48duration preserved foods wasn't always
2:02:50all that great. Some things were. The
2:02:53preserved eggs cooked as well as any,
2:02:55and the barbecue beans were just as good
2:02:57as they were fresh out of the pot. The
2:03:00canned potatoes were fine, but the green
2:03:02beans were atrocious, and everyone
2:03:04avoided them like the plague unless they
2:03:06had been heavily spiced or drenched in a
2:03:08sauce. In comparison, the dinner that
2:03:11Tessa and Lotus came up with was always
2:03:13fresh, including the meat that Carl
2:03:15donated to the process. Some of the meat
2:03:18sources hadn't been as good as others,
2:03:20but there were still quite a few of the
2:03:22giant pigs, and those were outstanding.
2:03:25Carl had considered sharing one with the
2:03:27line, but Hawk was resistant to the
2:03:29idea, and they had eventually come to a
2:03:31compromise.
2:03:33It was Carl's birthday in two more days,
2:03:35and Hawk had agreed to donate a pig to
2:03:37the meal, so the lion could throw a
2:03:39proper party. Nobody in the mines could
2:03:42really afford birthday parties that were
2:03:44more extravagant than a cake with
2:03:45friends, so that was their tradition.
2:03:48But with a whole academy full of elites,
2:03:50they could throw a full-on barbecue and
2:03:52tricked the students into eating up one
2:03:54of the rocks, which Hawk found entirely
2:03:56too stringy for his tastes. They tasted
2:03:59vaguely like chicken and weren't
2:04:01unpleasant. But if you didn't marinade
2:04:03and deep fry them, their natural state
2:04:05was almost a jerky. That meant Hawk, who
2:04:08liked his food raw, was out of luck. The
2:04:12frying was an essential step to making
2:04:13them edible. So on the seventh day after
2:04:17their arrival, the day before his
2:04:19birthday, Carl went to talk to the Mess
2:04:21Hall's leader, the professor from the
2:04:23culinary arts department. Professor
2:04:25Palm, could you spare me a moment? I
2:04:28would like to make a request and a
2:04:30donation for tomorrow's lunch. Carl
2:04:33greeted the aging chef. She smiled at
2:04:36him, but the look on her face was full
2:04:38of suspicion, and she was ready to tell
2:04:40him to get the hell out of her kitchen
2:04:41at any moment. Tomorrow is my birthday
2:04:44and I have saved one of the giant pigs
2:04:46from the frost giants as well as the
2:04:48body of one of the rocks. I would like
2:04:51to have the rock brined and deep fried
2:04:53and the pig slaughtered and smoked for a
2:04:55barbecue feast at lunch. I know that we
2:04:58have plenty of beans and salad to go
2:05:00with it and everyone loves a good
2:05:02barbecue, Carl explained before she
2:05:05could yell at him for wasting her time.
2:05:08Put the pig on the table and let's see
2:05:10it. We've got a thousand mouths to feed
2:05:12here, she insisted.
2:05:16Carl looked at the prep table and shook
2:05:17his head. It is a giant pig from the
2:05:20Frost Giant Nation. It's larger than
2:05:23Thor and it certainly won't fit on the
2:05:25table. Then the floor over there. That
2:05:29tarp has been sanitized.
2:05:31She offered. Carl brought out the pig
2:05:35and the chef gasped in delight before
2:05:37realizing that they didn't have nearly
2:05:38enough smokers to accomplish the task.
2:05:42They could make some of them easily
2:05:43enough as they had hundreds of raw metal
2:05:45barrels that were used to transport
2:05:47ammunition and supplies for the
2:05:48artillery units or they could wrap it
2:05:51and pit smoke it. That seemed like it
2:05:54would be the easier option. I will get
2:05:57the workers on the smoke pit right away.
2:06:00Did you say that you still had one of
2:06:01the bodies of a rock? We've gone through
2:06:04the one that was brought back to me
2:06:05after the battle already. Carl nodded.
2:06:09It's not plucked or anything, but it has
2:06:11been in the equivalent of stasis, so
2:06:13it's still fresh. The cook nodded
2:06:16slowly, lost in meal planning. I will
2:06:19get the kitchens on the salads after
2:06:21breakfast, and the meat will need to be
2:06:23in the smokers by midnight. But if you
2:06:25cut me off a 100 kilos of breast meat
2:06:27from the rock, we should have plenty to
2:06:28cover for a party. The smoked meat will
2:06:31be the main attraction. The students get
2:06:33enough fried chicken equivalents in
2:06:35their daily meals. And that's the only
2:06:37way those birds are edible. Hawk gave a
2:06:40smug squawk as the chef agreed with his
2:06:42opinion, then sliced off a large slab of
2:06:44meat for Carl to pass to the chef. This
2:06:47one fit on the table, though it took
2:06:49most of it, and Professor Palm nodded in
2:06:52satisfaction.
2:06:53I don't know how your preservation
2:06:55system works, but that looks as fresh as
2:06:57if the beast had just died. However,
2:07:00that giant pig hasn't been cleaned or
2:07:02gutted, so I need to work. Get out of my
2:07:05kitchen and come back tomorrow. Carl had
2:07:08been expecting that. She had wanted to
2:07:11kick him out from the moment that he had
2:07:12entered, and there had to be some
2:07:14satisfaction in doing it now, even if
2:07:16she was going to help him with his
2:07:17request for an academywide birthday
2:07:19party. Sure, it seemed excessive, but
2:07:23with the majority of the academy here on
2:07:25station, he couldn't really leave anyone
2:07:27out without looking like a massive jerk,
2:07:29so he had to prevail upon the main
2:07:30kitchens to get his barbecue. It didn't
2:07:33take long for word of the party to
2:07:35spread through the camp. Carl knew that
2:07:38nobody actually cared that it was his
2:07:39birthday, but they did care that there
2:07:42was going to be better than usual food
2:07:44for them. The army wasn't going to send
2:07:46tons of fresh bore meat to them, likely
2:07:49ever.
2:07:50That wasn't the sort of thing that you
2:07:52got on the front lines where most of the
2:07:54meals were prepackaged and came with
2:07:55instructions for cooking in the
2:07:57standardized company kitchen. The
2:07:59academy could have brought their own
2:08:01gear, but the army already had supplies
2:08:03ready, so they had chosen to use what
2:08:05was available. The only one that Carl
2:08:08hadn't gotten on board with the let's
2:08:09party for my birthday planned so far was
2:08:12Morgana, who insisted that having a
2:08:14birthday was no excuse for skipping an
2:08:16entire day of training. They had a good,
2:08:19reliable schedule, and he would get all
2:08:21the attention that he could handle
2:08:23during the lunch break. So, it wouldn't
2:08:26be a full day of slacking, but a morning
2:08:28shift on the line and then a barbecue
2:08:30before he had to go back to history
2:08:32lessons.
2:08:34Or perhaps geography, though the lines
2:08:36between the two did seem to get rather
2:08:38blurry when you were discussing how the
2:08:39geography had been changed. Still, Carl
2:08:43settled into his hammock with a relaxed
2:08:44mind, ready to begin the precious few
2:08:47weeks when he could claim not to be the
2:08:48youngest person in the camp. Until her
2:08:51birthday, Dana would have that honor.
2:08:54The next morning, Carl woke to a
2:08:56surprise birthday present from the last
2:08:58person in the world that he thought
2:08:59would give him a gift, the Hill Giants.
2:09:03The attack alarm started to blare just
2:09:05before dawn, alerting all forces to come
2:09:07to the front lines. Carl was on morning
2:09:10shift, so they would have been headed
2:09:12there anyhow, but not for another 2
2:09:14hours. That must have been why the hill
2:09:17giants attacked now when the pre-dawn
2:09:19twilight made it hard to spot them and
2:09:21when the night shift would be at their
2:09:23most inattentive just before they had to
2:09:25look professional as the next shift woke
2:09:27up and the morning light revealed them
2:09:28to the eyes of supervisors.
2:09:31Carl and his team equipped their armor,
2:09:33and Carl called out the beasts to serve
2:09:35as mounts for the run across the
2:09:37distance between the camp and their
2:09:38assigned position. They made it with
2:09:41plenty of time to spare, as the first
2:09:43arrivals of the attack were on the far
2:09:45flank, going after the artillery
2:09:47battery, and there were no hill giants
2:09:49in range of his position. Hawk, get some
2:09:52altitude and see what's holding up our
2:09:54side of the party. Carl ordered.
2:09:57Everyone was here and the golems were
2:09:59summoned, but there were no targets
2:10:01within a kilometer of this end of the
2:10:03position. Hawk soared out over the lines
2:10:05and started to relay enemy positions
2:10:07back to Carl. We have more giants
2:10:10coming. They've got three forces. The
2:10:14one that is fighting, the one coming to
2:10:16reinforce those ones, then the one
2:10:18coming from the far right that should be
2:10:20headed to our side of the line after we
2:10:21send our reinforcements away," he
2:10:24narrated.
2:10:26Carl passed that information along to
2:10:27Morgana, who relayed it to the teachers
2:10:30in charge of strategy. The best that was
2:10:32likely to happen was that a few extra
2:10:34troops would be left at this end of the
2:10:36line, as the reinforcement of the side
2:10:38which was actively under attack would
2:10:40take priority, but every little bit
2:10:42would count, and the third hit was
2:10:44intended to be against the weakest
2:10:46portion of the line, so they could
2:10:47breach the lines of warriors defending
2:10:49the much softer mages and devastate the
2:10:51human defenses.
2:10:53They all understood that their position
2:10:55was important, but watching the other
2:10:57end of the line fighting while they
2:10:58waited for the order to do something,
2:11:00even to adjust the lines and attack the
2:11:02flank was beyond frustrating to the
2:11:04students on Carl's end. However, they
2:11:07were in for the biggest shock of the
2:11:09day. The hill giants had sent an actual
2:11:12strike force to them, and they were in
2:11:13for a much more serious fight than the
2:11:15other end. Morgana looked over at Carl.
2:11:19two royal rank leaders, 50 commanders,
2:11:22and a whole company of ascended hill
2:11:24giants. Did you do something personal to
2:11:27them? Carl chuckled, and the rest of his
2:11:30team looked at him like it was a very
2:11:31real possibility.
2:11:33Not that I can think of off hand. But
2:11:36we've got a whole line of elites here,
2:11:38and we still outnumber them, Carl
2:11:41replied.
2:11:42Ali, the sworthy warrior on Colonel
2:11:44Wilks half of the team, gave Carl a
2:11:46concerned look. You do understand that
2:11:49there are two royal rankill giants
2:11:51there, right? What are we going to do
2:11:53against that? When they charge at the
2:11:56back of the line, we're not going to be
2:11:58able to break their earth magic barriers
2:12:00in time. We will be too busy dealing
2:12:02with the commanders.
2:12:04From behind the line, Tank came jogging
2:12:06over with a pair of other warrior class
2:12:08teachers. We will take care of the Royal
2:12:11Rankill giants until you've handled the
2:12:12others, the oversized berserker
2:12:15declared. Carl shook his head. I will
2:12:19come with you and Hawk can help us from
2:12:21above. The others will stay with the
2:12:24line. 211 is a more evenly balanced
2:12:27fight. Tank shrugged and prepared to
2:12:30move as the hill giant line charged at
2:12:32them. Shall we, gentlemen? Carl asked,
2:12:37taking out his bow. On Carl's mark,
2:12:40begin the attack. The section leader
2:12:43announced over the radio. Carl buffed
2:12:46himself up and focused on the line.
2:12:48Remember where the leaders are. It's
2:12:50going to become difficult to see them.
2:12:53Carl reminded the team. Chain lightning
2:12:56gave the arrows range while Blizzard
2:12:59added the shredding ice damage and
2:13:00blocked the view of the attacking
2:13:02giants.
2:13:04Carl wasn't aiming at them, though. He
2:13:07was burying the arrows into the dirt in
2:13:09front of them, letting the lightning
2:13:10arc, and the blizzard spread over their
2:13:12section of the battlefield.
2:13:14That meant their mages and archers were
2:13:16firing blind as well. But the wall of
2:13:18snow and ice gave them a rangefinder to
2:13:20their much larger targets. And as the
2:13:22hill giants began to emerge, Carl sent
2:13:25out another wave, moving the barrier
2:13:27forward. That put the front line in
2:13:30range of the majority of the mages,
2:13:31while the hill giant stone attacks were
2:13:33horribly inaccurate with a full half of
2:13:36them missing the line entirely.
2:13:38Tank looked into the ranks of hill
2:13:40giants now that they were close enough
2:13:41to see them through the snow. All right,
2:13:44let's go. First rank forward, pikes up,
2:13:49the zone leader ordered. The pikes
2:13:51rushed forward into the hill giants and
2:13:54Carl switched to his mall. Everyone stay
2:13:57here and protect the group. Rey, make
2:14:00sure nothing happens to Tessa and Oilia
2:14:03on the front row. I'm feeling artsy
2:14:05today. Rey replied, sounding somewhat
2:14:09distracted.
2:14:10Fine, make an art installation in the
2:14:12clearing when you've got time. But don't
2:14:15let anyone smash our team members. Ray's
2:14:18mental smirk let Carl know that he had
2:14:20been hoodwinkedked, and she only wanted
2:14:22to find a way to get him to agree to it.
2:14:25That didn't slow his advance. Rey would
2:14:27follow instructions and build her art
2:14:29when she had spare time, likely while
2:14:31the hill giants were regrouping for a
2:14:33second charge. He moved in a defensive
2:14:36formation with the other three commander
2:14:37rank warriors. But when Carl and the
2:14:39rest of the response team advanced, the
2:14:41hill giants spread, leaving them a clear
2:14:44path to the leaders. Oh, this is bad
2:14:47news, Tank muttered as they rushed past
2:14:50the ascended rank hill giants.
2:14:53I'm not saying this is a trap, but this
2:14:55is a trap. Carl agreed. The other
2:14:58teachers shook their head in dismay,
2:15:00realizing that someone still had to stop
2:15:02these two hill giant leaders from
2:15:04attacking the front lines, as their
2:15:06earth magic would devastate the mages if
2:15:08they got any closer. Rey, send your
2:15:11golems forward to keep a hole open
2:15:13behind us, Carl instructed. The hill
2:15:17giants behind them were mostly ascended,
2:15:19and the commanders in the attack force
2:15:21were spread out to make a pinser and
2:15:22push at the students weak points when
2:15:24the strongest defenders moved to fight
2:15:26the royal ranked giants.
2:15:28Rey was happy to help with that and she
2:15:30brought Dana and Mix golems along with
2:15:32Colonel Wilks fire elementals forward
2:15:34with her. That made a solid breach in
2:15:37the hill giant lines and the warriors
2:15:39pushed up into it, keeping Tanks team as
2:15:42the spearhead of the counterattack.
2:15:44That was what the royal ranked giants
2:15:46were hoping for. Now they just needed
2:15:48their leaders to defeat these four and
2:15:50have their commander ranked teams push
2:15:52through the extended lines and they
2:15:53would be into the mages. But they
2:15:56quickly realized it would not be that
2:15:58easy. When tank raged, he grew scales.
2:16:02Then brutality took effect on him and he
2:16:05grew from 250 cm to 350 cm instantly.
2:16:10That still only made him a little under
2:16:12waist high on a hill giant. But the
2:16:14extra strength made him a very scary
2:16:16opponent. Carl heard a musical giggle in
2:16:19his mind and realized that Morgana had
2:16:21found a new way of working with Remy.
2:16:24She had planted an ank topped staff in
2:16:26the ground for Remy to put the totems
2:16:28on, and the spirit snake had wrapped
2:16:30around it, leaving the witch doctor one
2:16:32hand free to cast her spells, which
2:16:34mostly required a gesture to activate.
2:16:37Carl and Tank split up to engage the
2:16:39royal rank giants with the other
2:16:41teachers falling in beside them. Carl
2:16:44would pair with a double-blade wielding
2:16:45warrior who dressed like an agility type
2:16:48in light armor, while Tank got the
2:16:50defensive warrior. It was a good combo
2:16:53for the Berserker, who didn't really
2:16:54care what was in the path of his axe.
2:16:57Carl aimed his maul at the Hill Giants
2:16:59Club, forcing the creature to change
2:17:01trajectory to avoid finding out what
2:17:03Carl had enchanted his weapon with. The
2:17:06power rolling off Carl's weapon felt
2:17:08stronger than a commander should be able
2:17:10to manage, and that put the Royal Rank
2:17:12Giant on edge. The Hill Giants had been
2:17:15informed in advance that this end of the
2:17:17line had the army's leadership team and
2:17:19that they were commanders, but there
2:17:20wasn't much other information for them
2:17:22to go on. The fact that Carl was aiming
2:17:25to shatter the giant's weapon right from
2:17:27the first strike seemed to make it
2:17:28obvious that he had a weapon shattering
2:17:30technique, but shatter didn't only work
2:17:33on weapons, but on anything that it hit.
2:17:36The vibrations would cause bones to
2:17:38break just as effectively as it caused a
2:17:40wooden club to break. That distraction
2:17:43let the other warrior get behind the
2:17:45target and score the first strike of the
2:17:47battle, cutting a line down the hill
2:17:48giant's lightly armored back as Carl
2:17:50kept it distracted. The giant turned to
2:17:53swing at the agile warrior, and Carl
2:17:55backed up, switching back to his bow to
2:17:58plug a flaming body infused arrow into
2:18:01the enormous target. It was like
2:18:03shooting at a house from the middle of
2:18:05the lawn, impossible to miss. The giant
2:18:08stepped forward to keep both targets in
2:18:10sight, and Carl backed up again, drawing
2:18:12the giant behind the lines where it
2:18:14could receive no reinforcements before
2:18:16he was forced to switch back to his
2:18:18two-handed blade to deflect a flurry of
2:18:20attacks that he wasn't fast enough with
2:18:21the Maul to handle. The teacher took
2:18:24advantage of the opening again, slicing
2:18:26the back of a knee and going for a spot
2:18:28at the armpit where the giant's crude
2:18:30armor exposed a weakness. The giant
2:18:33moved too quickly for that strike to
2:18:35land and the warrior went rolling as he
2:18:37was clipped by a swing of the club. Ray
2:18:40golems now. Carl ordered as he aimed a
2:18:44strike for the giant's left knee. His
2:18:46blade and the giant's club met a shower
2:18:48of sparks from flaming body, leaving the
2:18:51two of them deadlocked for a split
2:18:53second before the pair of spider golems
2:18:55landed on the hill giant's shoulders and
2:18:56began to shred his face and back. He
2:18:59reared back and flailed viciously at the
2:19:01attackers, throwing the first one deep
2:19:03into the hill giant lines, but his
2:19:05movement left him vulnerable, and Carl
2:19:08struck upwards, hitting him at the gap
2:19:10between his hanging waist armor and his
2:19:11chest plate. The flaming blade buried in
2:19:14the hill giant to the hilt, and Carl
2:19:16used it as a conduit to cast first chain
2:19:19lightning, then blizzard from the
2:19:21inside. The giant made a gurgling noise
2:19:24for a moment before his movement slowed
2:19:26and the spider golem deprived him of his
2:19:28head. Then Ry was on the scene prepared
2:19:32to begin her art exhibition.
2:19:34She had prepared a dozen Commander
2:19:36Rankill giant bodies on pikes which she
2:19:38slammed into the ground, standing them
2:19:40up as grotesque mannequins before she
2:19:43used her silk to tie the leader up by
2:19:44his arms between two of the commanders,
2:19:47leaving the body spread eagle and
2:19:48standing upright but headless. What the
2:19:51hell are you doing? Carl heard Morgana
2:19:54shouting from behind him as every hill
2:19:56giant in the area turned to him with
2:19:58rage in their eyes. He just made a come
2:20:01and get it gesture and then charged
2:20:04forward firing arrows into the closest
2:20:06few commander rankill giants who no
2:20:08longer cared about tactics and only
2:20:10wanted vengeance. The bow was quickly
2:20:13replaced with the maul shattering a knee
2:20:15and then crushing a rib cage before the
2:20:18falling hill giant had even reached the
2:20:19ground.
2:20:21Then Carl retreated, forcing the
2:20:23attackers to come at him one at a time
2:20:24through the small gap around Tank and
2:20:26his partner, who were still dealing with
2:20:28their enraged Royal Rank opponent. It
2:20:31was more intent on getting to Carl than
2:20:33on fighting them, and they were hacking
2:20:35it apart, but it didn't seem to care.
2:20:38Tessa glowed with the red light of the
2:20:39war dragon's favor, and Thor's defensive
2:20:42blessing increased in size, granting
2:20:44everyone near the Macob display the
2:20:46benefits of circle of protection.
2:20:48The lightning sow charged straight for
2:20:50the second royal ranked giant who never
2:20:52even saw him coming before it was flung
2:20:54from its feet and set upon by two
2:20:56massive front feet and an enraged
2:20:58Berserker.
2:21:00But this time the hill giant lines
2:21:02didn't break and retreat. They were
2:21:04fighting as hard as they could, but
2:21:06without any sense of cohesion or
2:21:08tactics, and as often as not, their
2:21:10strikes were interfering with the fights
2:21:12of those next to them, throwing off
2:21:14timing, deflecting blows, and causing
2:21:16arguments in the attacking line. The
2:21:18students defensive lines closed the gap
2:21:20as Tank and his partner retreated to
2:21:22catch their breath, and the spider
2:21:24golems darted off to cause chaos in the
2:21:26hill giant attack. Well, that's one way
2:21:29to get them worked up. They're not going
2:21:32to forget this.
2:21:34The defensive warrior with tank noted. I
2:21:37hope not. The point of an object lesson
2:21:40is for them to remember it. They lost
2:21:43two royal rank giants today and we
2:21:45didn't lose a command squad member. The
2:21:48hill giants that survive will spread the
2:21:50word that we're taunting them and the
2:21:51next waves will hesitate as they attack,
2:21:54allowing us more time to hit them from a
2:21:56distance. Nine out of 10 storytelling.
2:22:00If you can't blind them with brilliance,
2:22:02baffle them with Tessa called
2:22:05from her spot on Thor's back. Hey, who
2:22:08is telling the story here? Me or you?
2:22:12Carl shouted back. Thor laughed and
2:22:15stomped around, motivating the warriors
2:22:17nearby, while Sheamus started on a new
2:22:19song for inspiration.
2:22:22He had moved up a little, standing in
2:22:24the enlarged gap between the warriors
2:22:25and the mages, where everyone could see
2:22:28and hear him while he jammed out on his
2:22:29loot. Thor braided happily, and Tessa
2:22:32let out a very draconic roar while
2:22:34holding her spear high. Carl had
2:22:37continued to fire his arrows now that
2:22:39nothing was getting through to his
2:22:40position in front of Ray's art
2:22:42installation, and even Morgana had come
2:22:44up to join them, though she looked less
2:22:46than impressed with their antics. The
2:22:48clerics along their portion of the line
2:22:50were advancing as well, far enough that
2:22:52they could work together to cast an area
2:22:54heal over the whole spearhead of the
2:22:56line. While Lotus worked to keep her
2:22:58area refresh spell active, Dana led a
2:23:02group of mages forwards, putting them in
2:23:04range of more giants with their area
2:23:06attack spells. that thinned the front
2:23:08row of attackers, giving the warriors a
2:23:10moment's rest, while the hill giants
2:23:12further down the line began to panic at
2:23:14the pair of royal rank spider golems who
2:23:16were going berserk among the ascended
2:23:18rank fighters. They weren't even trying
2:23:20to fight the commanders. They were just
2:23:22maming and crippling as many as
2:23:24possible, then running away to do it
2:23:26again when anything challenged them.
2:23:28"Does Ry have anger management issues?"
2:23:31Morgana asked as she stared at the
2:23:33impaled hill giants in the middle of the
2:23:35human formation.
2:23:37No. Why do you ask? She gave a
2:23:40meaningful look at the display and Carl
2:23:42began to laugh. That's her latest art
2:23:45exhibition.
2:23:46Pretty, isn't it? Remy looked at the row
2:23:49of corpses for a second and placed her
2:23:52next round of totems on the second to
2:23:53last giant's head on both sides, then
2:23:56nodded with satisfaction.
2:23:58That was much prettier. Visually
2:24:00balanced and spitting fireballs for the
2:24:03true interactive experience.
2:24:06Hawk laughed at her idea before dipping
2:24:08into his space as a massive barrage of
2:24:10rocks from the back lines converged on
2:24:12him and then reappeared to continue
2:24:13hurling fireballs at them from the other
2:24:15side of the formation. "This is a fun
2:24:18game. We should make them mad more
2:24:21often," he suggested. "I think we're
2:24:24going to be in enough trouble for this
2:24:26time. But look on the bright side. All
2:24:29those reinforcements from the other end
2:24:31of the line are coming this way. Well,
2:24:34at least the ones that can still walk.
2:24:36The spider golems have been busy. Carl
2:24:39informed the happy bird. They also
2:24:42weren't dead yet. They were over a
2:24:45kilometer away by Carl's estimation, and
2:24:48they were still going wild. You're lost
2:24:50in your conversation with the beasts
2:24:52again. The line is signaling the
2:24:55retreat. The hill giants are
2:24:56disengaging.
2:24:58Dana informed Carl as he finished
2:25:00mentally searching for the spider
2:25:02golems.
2:25:03Right. Sorry. He had still been
2:25:06shooting, but he had noticed the target
2:25:08selections were getting a bit slim. Rey,
2:25:11move your art installation back indoors.
2:25:14We're done here. Grab the shiny stuff.
2:25:18It's still on the bodies, but it will
2:25:19drop when I take them. She replied.
2:25:23Carl wasn't certain what she meant, but
2:25:25a club and dagger, plus a necklace,
2:25:28dropped to the ground when the royal
2:25:29ranked giant disappeared.
2:25:31Carl scooped them up and the necklace
2:25:33immediately bonded to him while his
2:25:35sword rejected the other weapons to the
2:25:37point that he almost dropped them.
2:25:39Tessa, do you mind holding these for me?
2:25:42They're causing a repulsion reaction
2:25:44from my bonded blade. Tessa tossed the
2:25:47weapons into the pouches that were built
2:25:49into the harness Thor was wearing, left
2:25:51over from their last battle and equipped
2:25:52by him when he left his space so his
2:25:54knight would have a saddle. Then the
2:25:57group retreated to their original
2:25:58positions after Hawk grabbed the last
2:26:00Royal Rankill giant into his space for
2:26:02safekeeping.
2:26:04He didn't really want it. They tasted
2:26:06awful, but the warriors had already
2:26:08looted it, so there was no point in
2:26:10letting the giants recover the bodies of
2:26:12their leaders. For half an hour, they
2:26:14waited while the survivors of the hill
2:26:16giant attack retreated, taking their
2:26:18wounded and most of their dead with
2:26:20them. That was something that the frost
2:26:22giants didn't do, and Carl wondered if
2:26:24there were hill giant clerics who could
2:26:26resurrect their fallen. He hadn't seen
2:26:29any sign of them in combat, but they
2:26:31might be somewhere in the back, as
2:26:33anything beyond the front lines was
2:26:34their undisputed territory.
2:26:37Once the whistles blew to inform them
2:26:38that they could retreat from the line to
2:26:40their regular morning duties, the
2:26:42students breathed a sigh of relief, and
2:26:44Carl took a comfortable seat on a nearby
2:26:46rock. His team was still on duty this
2:26:49morning, and the battle had lasted long
2:26:51enough for shift change to have occurred
2:26:53as the sun was now well above the
2:26:55horizon. Tank sat down on the rock next
2:26:58to him and looked up at the sky. Good
2:27:01work out there. That ambush with the
2:27:03spider golems was pure poetry. The
2:27:06berserker congratulated him. I didn't
2:27:09know that you had the chance to see it.
2:27:12It worked just as well as I had hoped.
2:27:15There isn't much on an average
2:27:16battlefield that can stop them. Carl
2:27:19replied with a smile. That wasn't
2:27:22actually why I stayed back. I know the
2:27:25others think that the way my size
2:27:26increased in combat was one of my
2:27:28skills, but that was you, wasn't it?
2:27:31Tank asked. Carl nodded. Yeah, it's the
2:27:36same skill that I use on myself and the
2:27:38beasts. You're bestial enough when you
2:27:40rage that it will affect you as well. It
2:27:43also works on Oilia. We just didn't see
2:27:46it because she was behind us. The skill
2:27:49is called brutality, an increase of 10%
2:27:52in both size and strength per rank of
2:27:54the user. Do you think that you could
2:27:56teach that to me? I heard that you can
2:27:59make skill books of the skills that you
2:28:00know, Tank asked, becoming more eager by
2:28:04the word. Sure, if someone brings over
2:28:07paper and ink, that's all I need for
2:28:09that one. or we can do it after I'm off
2:28:12shift. Tank shook his head with a glance
2:28:15toward the hill giant side of the line.
2:28:18They're likely coming back. If there is
2:28:21one thing that you are truly talented
2:28:22at, it has to be the art of angering the
2:28:25giants. We've heard from our scouts that
2:28:27the frost giants are still looking for
2:28:29you and they're not giving up. I don't
2:28:32know how they pieced it together, but
2:28:34they realized that the team who was
2:28:35ambushing their reinforcements was the
2:28:37same one that had killed their royal
2:28:39rank elder. Then Tank sent a brief
2:28:41message over the radio, requesting
2:28:43supplies for inscription, and the two
2:28:45patiently watched the horizon for signs
2:28:47of movement. I heard that you had the
2:28:50ability to learn more skills after the
2:28:52frost giant incident. Have you learned
2:28:54them yet? Tank asked after a few minutes
2:28:57of silence.
2:28:58Yeah, brutality was one of them.
2:29:01I also learned skills that add impact
2:29:03damage to all my physical hits. It's a
2:29:06bit like earthquake but internally.
2:29:10Carl explained.
2:29:12That sounds messy. No wonder they were
2:29:14so wary of that mall. What comes next
2:29:17for your skills? Carl shrugged. I have
2:29:21two options. I can learn some basic
2:29:24defensive skills or I can learn one that
2:29:26gives my pets a chance to evolve their
2:29:28skills up a tier like fireball to flames
2:29:31storm or stun to petrify.
2:29:34It's just a chance when you learn it.
2:29:37Tank asked confused as to the nature of
2:29:39the skill. Carl shook his head. No, it's
2:29:43an increasing chance every time they use
2:29:45the skill. I don't have the ability to
2:29:48get it yet, but the way that my luck
2:29:50goes, it won't be long. If it could
2:29:53advance them a rank, that would be even
2:29:55better. The Berserker side, I've already
2:29:59learned that skill. Did you ever wonder
2:30:02why two spider golems can move through
2:30:04ascended rank giants like knives through
2:30:06warm butter? It's because that is a
2:30:08royal rank skill.
2:30:10Ry is still a commander rank beast, but
2:30:13that one skill increase is enough that
2:30:15hill giants one rank below her aren't
2:30:17even a challenge for the golems,
2:30:19Carl explained. And you didn't think to
2:30:22mention that to anyone? Carl smiled
2:30:25gently and patted the enormous berserker
2:30:27on his massive shoulder. I have come to
2:30:30realize that academy instructors are
2:30:32very different from politicians and
2:30:33bureaucrats.
2:30:35Telling you means I'll receive new
2:30:37courses better suited for my training.
2:30:39Telling them means they'll find a reason
2:30:41to say that I have royal rank combat
2:30:43power and should be reassigned to more
2:30:45dangerous battlefields.
2:30:47And I don't have that level of power
2:30:49yet. The maximum cap is still much lower
2:30:52than an actual royal rank monster, but
2:30:54the energy efficiency is up there. Tank
2:30:57nodded. I get it. It's an overpowered
2:31:01skill, but when Ry is actually a royal
2:31:03rank monster, it will be better. You
2:31:06have to be getting pretty close
2:31:07yourself, though.
2:31:09I'm not on the weak side of commander
2:31:11and you didn't have any trouble keeping
2:31:13up with me. It shouldn't be too much
2:31:15longer. I just need to keep building the
2:31:18strength of my mental spaces so the
2:31:20beasts will advance. I think that once
2:31:23the space forces Remy to advance to
2:31:25commander, we should be very close. Remy
2:31:28got excited about that. She was almost
2:31:32there. She could feel it. The next time
2:31:34that she shed her skin, she would likely
2:31:37advance.
2:31:38She was thinking about all the wonderful
2:31:40things that she might be able to do as a
2:31:42commander rank snake when the runner
2:31:44arrived with the supplies for Carl to
2:31:45start making books. The class skills
2:31:48were simple to transcribe and brutality
2:31:50didn't need anything but blood which
2:31:52they had a plentiful supply of. What are
2:31:55you filling the pen with? Tank asked as
2:31:58Carl got to work. Oh, it's Royal Rankill
2:32:02Giant blood. The book has to be written
2:32:04in blood, and I prefer not to use my
2:32:07own. I have plenty of blood available,
2:32:10thanks to Ray and Hawk, so I am using
2:32:12that. He wrote out the brutality book,
2:32:15which turned out to be nothing more than
2:32:17an incoherent and ragefilled poem about
2:32:19tearing things apart, and watched in
2:32:21pleasure as the blood red cover formed
2:32:23over it. There, try that. I don't know
2:32:27if it will work for you, but if it does,
2:32:29I should make more. at least one for
2:32:32Oilia and one for the cleric's records.
2:32:35Carl suggested.
2:32:37Tank tried but could not open the cover
2:32:39to the book. But Carl had an idea. Try
2:32:44it while raging. That's the only time
2:32:46that it worked on you. Tanks eyes went
2:32:49red and white scales formed on his arms
2:32:52and neck. Then the book opened smoothly
2:32:54and vanished in his hands. He surged in
2:32:57size to roughly 4 m tall, then returned
2:33:00to his normal calm state. "Did you say
2:33:02it was called brutality?"
2:33:04he asked. "Yeah, that's what was on the
2:33:08cover of the book as well." Carl agreed.
2:33:11"The skill I got was a modification of
2:33:13rage." "Bestial rage was the name. It
2:33:18replaced my old rage skill." Carl tapped
2:33:21the back of the pen on the extra paper.
2:33:24"Give me a second. I want to know if I
2:33:26can teach you another skill that is
2:33:27intended to be used by beasts. Do you
2:33:30know haste already? Tank nodded. I know
2:33:34a haste equivalent.
2:33:36Berserker rush increases my speed while
2:33:38enraged.
2:33:40Carl refilled the pen with hill giant
2:33:42blood and began to write out terrorize.
2:33:45Tank with 40% more damage would be
2:33:47awesome. There rage and try to open
2:33:50that. Carl instructed.
2:33:53Tank followed the directions, but when
2:33:55the book vanished, the result was not
2:33:57what Carl had been expecting. The
2:34:00already enlarged Berserker grew even
2:34:02larger, reaching 4 and 1/2 m. Then his
2:34:06whole body became covered in scales
2:34:08while his hands grew long claws, and his
2:34:10enraged red eyes turned completely
2:34:12black. A roar of victory echoed through
2:34:15the camp, causing dozens of students to
2:34:18draw their weapons in fright before
2:34:19realizing that it came from their lines.
2:34:22With that sort of buff, Tank was now
2:34:24nearly as large as the ascended rank
2:34:26hill giants. Letting him loose in combat
2:34:29would be a gamecher for the humans. Tank
2:34:33stomped around in victory for a moment,
2:34:35then drew his axes and swung at the air,
2:34:37savoring his new ability before
2:34:39transforming back. It's called Berserk
2:34:42Terror, and it's a full transformation
2:34:44ability. He cheered, pulling Carl into a
2:34:47hug and spinning him in circles. I'm
2:34:50glad you like it.
2:34:52Now that we know it really works, I need
2:34:54to make more of those books. And we have
2:34:56at least one or two more people to try
2:34:58it on today. Tank laughed. I want to see
2:35:02what happens when you do it to a warbear
2:35:04as well. I'm glad we understand each
2:35:07other. Carl quickly worked to make two
2:35:09more copies of both books and then
2:35:11called Oilia over from where she was
2:35:13chatting with Lotus and Dana about
2:35:15something while Tessa napped on top of
2:35:17Thor. If anything happened, he would
2:35:20wake her up.
2:35:21What's up? Have you been teaching
2:35:24berserkers to read? That's a noble
2:35:26endeavor, but not really necessary,
2:35:29she joked. Here, first try to use this.
2:35:34If it doesn't work, try to use it while
2:35:37enraged.
2:35:38Carl explained.
2:35:40Oilia opened the first book and
2:35:42immediately shifted into bare form as it
2:35:44vanished.
2:35:45She looked confused for a moment and
2:35:47then picked up the other book,
2:35:49apparently thinking she had dropped it
2:35:51during the transformation.
2:35:53The second one vanished, and her were
2:35:55bear form surged in size. Still the same
2:35:573 m that she had been under the effects
2:35:59of brutality before, but now with
2:36:01metallic claws and teeth and fur that
2:36:04looked more wiry and less fluffy. Like
2:36:07Tank, her eyes had gone completely
2:36:09black, and her roar shook the ground.
2:36:12This one didn't startle the students as
2:36:14much, but Carl could see them backing
2:36:16away. Oilia looked positively feral, and
2:36:19her eyes landed on Tank, seeing a
2:36:22challenge. Carl was going to try to calm
2:36:25them down, but the other Berserker had
2:36:27already transformed, and the fight was
2:36:28on. Tank was a full rank above her and
2:36:32over a meter taller, but that wasn't
2:36:34going to slow down the enraged warbear.
2:36:37Sparks flew from both sides as metallic
2:36:39claws dragged down scales and wiry fur,
2:36:42confirming Carl's impression that the
2:36:43fur itself was now a form of armor. They
2:36:47looked like they were tearing each other
2:36:48apart, but Carl could see that they were
2:36:50pulling their strikes a little so they
2:36:52didn't hurt each other. Then Tank
2:36:54managed to swat Oilia to the ground and
2:36:57the two berserkers transformed back
2:36:59laughing. That skill is remarkable.
2:37:03The raw power, the intimidation roar,
2:37:05it's got everything. How did you realize
2:37:08that this would work? Oilia asked. I
2:37:12gave Tank the brutality skill that you
2:37:14get the size buff from. It changed his
2:37:17rage skill, so I gave him another book,
2:37:19and this was the result. Pretty
2:37:22impressive, if I do say so myself,
2:37:25Carl explained.
2:37:27So you taught Berserk terror to two
2:37:30elites and you didn't think to tell the
2:37:32clergy. A voice asked from behind Carl.
2:37:36I made you copies.
2:37:38But we had to be sure that they worked
2:37:40first, right? Who knows? These one might
2:37:43have been as particular as the
2:37:45refreshing lightning book that I made
2:37:47for the blue dragon priestess.
2:37:49Carl replied as he turned to see one of
2:37:51the camps high priests waiting for him
2:37:53to finish talking to the berserkers.
2:37:56Don't remind me of that debacle.
2:37:58Those books have been passed around by
2:38:00the clergy more than the average
2:38:01offering plate looking for someone else
2:38:03who can use them. It's still only the
2:38:06blue dragon clerics and like three
2:38:08lightning element dragon kin who have
2:38:10managed to activate the skill. Carl
2:38:13smiled. That's three dragon kin better
2:38:16than the last time that I heard the
2:38:18story. So, they're making progress. And
2:38:21who can we expect to be able to use
2:38:22these two books? The cleric side, most
2:38:26likely transformation druids, animal
2:38:29element berserkers, and possibly war
2:38:31clerics. The red dragon seems like the
2:38:34sort that might appreciate terrorize and
2:38:36brutality as skills. Carl offered
2:38:39helpfully. "Have you tried the books on
2:38:42your own red dragon cleric yet?" the
2:38:45high priest asked. "Nope. We started
2:38:48with the berserkers as it seemed like
2:38:50the logical option. They are the ones
2:38:53that need more combat damage. The white
2:38:56robed cleric was giving Carl a
2:38:58suspicious look as he stared down at the
2:39:00two books with their blood red covers.
2:39:03Well, they are red at least. But why do
2:39:06I get the feeling that it won't have any
2:39:08bearing on who is actually able to use
2:39:10these them? Could your skill actually be
2:39:12to make ultra selective skill books that
2:39:14only work for the person you first
2:39:16handed them to? He muttered. You know,
2:39:20you might be on to something. I make the
2:39:22skill books because I think that the
2:39:24skill I have might work for someone in
2:39:26particular.
2:39:27So when they're passed on to someone
2:39:29else, the meaning is lost and it's all
2:39:31up to compatibility with a skill that
2:39:33they had probably never considered or
2:39:35trained towards. For the blue dragon
2:39:38priests, their patron is an evolved form
2:39:40of a divine beast that uses lightning.
2:39:42So it's natural that they would. But a
2:39:45beast's lightning and a shaman or
2:39:46wizard's lightning aren't the same
2:39:48thing. So, it's only natural that they
2:39:50wouldn't understand the concept as well.
2:39:53You don't expect just anyone who can use
2:39:55fire to be able to use dragon breath.
2:39:58Carl suggested the cleric was going to
2:40:01open his mouth and say something about
2:40:02how the idea was ridiculous, as the
2:40:05dragons were the noblest of the divine
2:40:06beasts, but that would bring him right
2:40:08back to Carl's point that they were
2:40:11beasts. So, you couldn't expect others
2:40:13to easily learn their skills. All right,
2:40:16I will take these to the
2:40:17inscriptionists. so they can add them to
2:40:19the archives and make copies for anyone
2:40:21who wants to try to use them. There are
2:40:24a whole class full of them here on the
2:40:25front line as the academy sent everyone
2:40:28with ascended rank or higher combat
2:40:30power, so there should be copies ready
2:40:31by tomorrow. The high priest announced,
2:40:35satisfied that he had gathered enough
2:40:36answers about what they were doing over
2:40:38here, scaring students with their
2:40:40roaring. That left Carl and the others
2:40:42alone on the line again, staring at
2:40:44empty fields, the earth torn up by the
2:40:47attacks of the hill giants and the
2:40:48recent battles. Tank was right. They
2:40:51were going to come back, especially
2:40:53after taunting them like that with their
2:40:55dead leader strung up for all to see.
2:40:57But it might not be soon. They had
2:41:00failed this attack so they wouldn't take
2:41:02a hasty approach to the next one. In
2:41:05fact, Carl thought that they might focus
2:41:07on other sections of the line for the
2:41:09next few days just in case they were
2:41:11weaker than the student portion, which
2:41:13might have seemed like an easy target
2:41:14because of their ages. But as an
2:41:17additional torture to go with the
2:41:18waiting, the wind was blowing from
2:41:20behind them, bringing the smell of roast
2:41:22pig from the camp to the line and making
2:41:24everyone's mouth water with anticipation
2:41:26for what the kitchen was going to turn
2:41:27out for lunch today. With the attack, it
2:41:31almost felt like a victory dinner and
2:41:32not a birthday brunch. But that was an
2:41:34improvement in a way. Celebrating the
2:41:38day you were born was fun. But
2:41:40celebrating the days you didn't die was
2:41:42much more meaningful. The party was in
2:41:45full swing by the time that the shift
2:41:47change started and the roast pig had
2:41:49been sliced, pulled, and prepared a
2:41:51halfozen different ways for the academy
2:41:53students. The ones going to the line had
2:41:56eaten early, and that was the smell that
2:41:58had tortured the students who were
2:41:59coming off the defense shifts. The
2:42:02culinary arts professor waved at Carl as
2:42:04she saw him coming off the line and
2:42:06waved him over. This is considered a
2:42:08tradition in my home village. Take a
2:42:11bite of the beast's heart for good luck
2:42:13and to gain some of its power. She
2:42:16explained as she handed him a small
2:42:18square of raw meat. Carl smiled. He had
2:42:22a sword that granted him the beast's
2:42:24life force and a holy stone for luck,
2:42:26but a little more never hurt anyone.
2:42:29Plus, both Hawk and Ray agreed with the
2:42:31practice, while Remy wondered what the
2:42:33attraction was with only eating parts of
2:42:35things. But Remy didn't have taste buds
2:42:38the same way that the others did. So,
2:42:40the taste of things was much less
2:42:42important to her than the texture.
2:42:44Carl's team grabbed plates and found a
2:42:46seat with their lunch while they watched
2:42:48the older students trying to distract
2:42:50the kitchen staff so they could spike
2:42:51the party punch. Unfortunately for them,
2:42:54the academy already knew all the tricks
2:42:57and they weren't having any luck in
2:42:58their endeavor. Happy birthday,
2:43:01commander. Good work on the line this
2:43:04morning. I don't think that I've seen an
2:43:06above rank kill go that smoothly in a
2:43:08long time. One of the clerics
2:43:11congratulated Carl as he walked by to
2:43:13maintain order. Thank you, brother.
2:43:17We've got some very talented warriors
2:43:19here, and the more we work together, the
2:43:21better we can predict each other's
2:43:22actions. Carl agreed. Not that he had
2:43:26worked with that group before, but their
2:43:28actions were fairly predictable because
2:43:30the warrior with him didn't use any
2:43:32skills that Carl hadn't seen before,
2:43:34either from other warriors or the
2:43:35spellblades.
2:43:37He walked off, and one of the Berserker
2:43:39class students came over to say hello.
2:43:42Carl didn't recall his name, but he
2:43:44recognized him from the group training
2:43:46Earthquake with Thor. Commander Carl,
2:43:50good to see you again and happy
2:43:52birthday. I hear that you've got the
2:43:54inscription class going insane copying
2:43:56books again. Carl chuckled. Have they
2:44:00started trying to teach them to others
2:44:02yet? They will likely only work when
2:44:04you're raging and partially animal
2:44:06transformed.
2:44:08The Berserker sighed. I thought it might
2:44:10be something like that. Professor Tank
2:44:13tried to explain, but you know how he
2:44:15is. Not big on words. That was not
2:44:20Carl's experience with the big berserker
2:44:22at all. Tank actually liked to talk out
2:44:24his ideas from what Carl had seen. While
2:44:28the party punch was being zealously
2:44:30defended by the kitchen staff, the
2:44:32offduty teachers had found a loophole.
2:44:35Someone, most likely a nature priest,
2:44:37had been passing them flasks of liquor
2:44:39all morning. The principal stepped up
2:44:42onto a small podium near the outdoor
2:44:44dining area where most of the offduty
2:44:46students were gathered to eat and laugh,
2:44:48releasing some stress after the morning
2:44:50attacks. Good afternoon, everyone. I
2:44:54already gave this speech to the morning
2:44:55crew, so I know this will be short. We
2:44:58realize that it is unconventional to
2:45:00have so many students out here on the
2:45:02main line so early into their career and
2:45:04we would like to thank you all for going
2:45:06above and beyond. The right flank had a
2:45:09massive victory today eliminating two
2:45:11Royal Rankill giants while the left and
2:45:13center managed to hold against the main
2:45:15assault without a single permanent
2:45:17casualty.
2:45:18That is our goal here. Zero casualties.
2:45:23So, I would like to remind you all if
2:45:25you are injured, back away from the
2:45:27fight and let the healers get to you. I
2:45:30know you're all eager to prove that
2:45:31you're an asset to your team, but you
2:45:33will be a longerterm asset to them if
2:45:35you get prompt healing. We've got quite
2:45:37a few clerics here as the church has
2:45:40recognized the vital significance of the
2:45:42next generation of elites. But to top
2:45:45off today's celebration, I would like to
2:45:47add one more fact for you. Today we
2:45:50celebrated the advancement of our ninth
2:45:52student on the lines to reach commander
2:45:54rank. That is a new record for the
2:45:56academy. Never before have we had nine
2:45:59current students at the commander rank.
2:46:02It is my belief that this is a sign of
2:46:04the favor of the dragon gods blessing
2:46:06our students with a more complete system
2:46:08after the serum administration.
2:46:10There are a number of other students who
2:46:12are getting close to advancement as
2:46:14well. and it is the official position of
2:46:16the academy that we should have over a
2:46:17dozen active students at the commander
2:46:19rank before the end of the year. He
2:46:21paused and Carl smirked at Dana. Do you
2:46:25think he means you? Because I think that
2:46:27you can do it commander by the end of
2:46:30the year. Dana laughed. Well, if
2:46:34everyone else is doing it, I might as
2:46:36well. But we should likely have Tessa
2:46:38tested first because I'm reasonably
2:46:41certain that she advanced today when she
2:46:43received the red dragon's blessing. High
2:46:45Priestess Tessa has a nice ring to it. I
2:46:49think that we should let her decide when
2:46:50to tell people. Though when she does
2:46:53announce it, there will be a whole
2:46:55series of events and they will want her
2:46:56to go back to the capital cathedral for
2:46:58a while to do the high priestess
2:47:00orientation and paperwork. We've still
2:47:03got lots of time in our contract, so
2:47:05it's better that we just let her pick on
2:47:07her own. Carl suggested.
2:47:10Dana smirked and looked across the table
2:47:12at where the beused war cleric was
2:47:14sitting. Why don't we let Lotus advance
2:47:17first? Then they will be in such a panic
2:47:20that they won't even register the
2:47:21presence of a new high priestess of the
2:47:23red dragon. You all saw them when Doug
2:47:26advanced, and that was amusing enough. I
2:47:29can only imagine what happens when Lotus
2:47:31becomes a high priestess.
2:47:33They might just change the rules to not
2:47:35automatically give the title to
2:47:37commanders.
2:47:38She joked. Lotus sighed. You know, I can
2:47:43see them doing that. Some big speech
2:47:46about how the world is progressing and
2:47:48the prevalence of powerful elites is
2:47:49demeaning the title of high priestess.
2:47:51So, they'll move it up to royal rank
2:47:53until I advance again. Tessa laughed. I
2:47:57can see it now. Half the high priests
2:47:59would be considered no longer qualified
2:48:01under the new rules and would have to be
2:48:03grandfathered in just to keep you from
2:48:04being considered a high priestess.
2:48:07Maybe we will have to tame you your own
2:48:09monster so you can just stay as a feral
2:48:11priestess forever. Carl laughed. You
2:48:15know, at one point Ry tried to claim
2:48:17Dana by pulling her into her space to
2:48:19bond her. Tessa might be on to
2:48:21something. If we find just the right
2:48:24partner, we might be able to get Lotus a
2:48:26permanent companion beast. Why did she
2:48:29try to claim Dana? Lotus asked, pouting
2:48:32that it wasn't her. Because Hawk had
2:48:35grabbed Remy's egg, and she thought it
2:48:37wasn't fair that she didn't get to pick
2:48:39someone. Carl replied, attempting to
2:48:42hide his laughter at the memory. I
2:48:44remember that day she vanished like four
2:48:47times, trying to take me with her. Dana
2:48:50laughed while shaking her head in
2:48:52dismay. Rey almost certainly wanted her
2:48:55more as a trophy or accessory than a
2:48:57partner. I wonder how long it will be
2:49:00before one of them makes it to royal
2:49:01rank. Oilia asked. They already had
2:49:05skills that were advanced beyond that of
2:49:07a commander, so it was just a matter of
2:49:09energy storage and body growth. It
2:49:12shouldn't be long. I think by the end of
2:49:15the year, we should have at least two
2:49:16royal rank beasts. Then the burden on me
2:49:20will be to increase their living spaces
2:49:22enough to advance the others. Carl
2:49:24sighed. They had been ignoring the end
2:49:27of the principal's motivational speech
2:49:29and hadn't noticed when the teachers had
2:49:31stopped to listen to their conversation.
2:49:34So, you think that Commander Carl really
2:49:36can reach royal rank by the end of
2:49:37freshman year? One of the combat
2:49:40instructors asked. The ladies all nodded
2:49:43while Carl shrugged. Honestly, it's a
2:49:47bit of a toss up when they will advance.
2:49:49But now that Rey has found royal rank
2:49:52targets to optimize herself against, I
2:49:54think that it shouldn't be long. The
2:49:56thought of a royal rank bloodbath spider
2:49:58was honestly terrifying for most of the
2:50:00people in the camp, even most of the
2:50:02nature priests who still had a healthy
2:50:04respect for their own lives. There were
2:50:07just some things in life that you didn't
2:50:09want to mess with, and 200 kilo spiders
2:50:11were among of those things. The beasts
2:50:14were mostly happily resting in their
2:50:16spaces while everyone enjoyed their
2:50:17lunch. But Remy was still hanging out
2:50:19with Morgana, watching the world from
2:50:21the witch doctor's shoulder with her
2:50:23tail wrapped around Morgana's neck for
2:50:25security. She had been around the
2:50:27adviser long enough now that Remy had
2:50:29decided that it was safe to take food
2:50:31from her, and Morgana was patrolling
2:50:33around the camp, free to pass Remy
2:50:35morsels of anything that caught her
2:50:37interest. Remy seems to have found her
2:50:39calling.
2:50:41The venomous snake really completes the
2:50:43creepy witch doctor look. One of the
2:50:45other students chuckled as the pair
2:50:47passed by. Morgana smiled at him. You
2:50:51have a large cut on your hand there.
2:50:53Would you like to have it healed? Remy
2:50:56is working on her direct injected
2:50:58healing splash skill. The boy
2:51:01frantically waved his bandaged hand. No,
2:51:04that's fine. Thank you. It will be fine
2:51:07in a day or two. Remy tried her pleading
2:51:10look, but the warrior's mistrust ran too
2:51:12deep, and there was no way that he was
2:51:14letting the snake bite him as a training
2:51:16exercise for a supposed healing ability.
2:51:19Besides, who had ever heard of a snake
2:51:21that healed with a bite? Once the food
2:51:24was done, the bards began to play some
2:51:26lighter dance music, taking the
2:51:28weariness from the students who had just
2:51:30come from the line. "Care to dance?"
2:51:33Carl asked Dana with a wink. I'd rather
2:51:37sleep, but a dance still sounds good.
2:51:40She agreed, looking tired. Carl hadn't
2:51:43really been watching the back of the
2:51:44battle, but the mages would have been
2:51:46busy trying to keep the barriers up
2:51:48against the constant barrage of rocks
2:51:50and spears the hill giants used in place
2:51:52of artillery. The students were already
2:51:54filing out into the open area to dance
2:51:56as the bards played, and Lotus was
2:51:59dragging Oilia by the hand while Tessa
2:52:01gave a glare at a hopeful young man that
2:52:03Carl suspected had him frozen in terror.
2:52:06He would have to ask her to dance later
2:52:07to see if it was personal or if she just
2:52:09didn't dance. Carl and Dana danced and
2:52:13spun through the first song as the
2:52:15energy seemed to slowly return to her
2:52:16from the refreshing magic of the bard
2:52:18songs. The same was true all over the
2:52:21improvised dance floor and even a few of
2:52:24the teachers had come out to join them.
2:52:26The afternoon classes were on hold as
2:52:29everyone relaxed a little and forgot for
2:52:30a moment that they were still supposed
2:52:32to be in training and not fighting a
2:52:34border dispute with the Hill Giants.
2:52:36Dana bowed out of the dancing after one
2:52:38song, but she traded spots with Oilia
2:52:41while an unwilling Tessa was dragged
2:52:43into the action by Lotus. Nobody else
2:52:46knew the improvised dance steps that the
2:52:48nature priestess had made up during
2:52:50their time at the seminary academy.
2:52:52While neither Carl nor Oilia actually
2:52:54knew how to dance, that didn't really
2:52:56matter as nobody else did either, and
2:52:59knowing what you were doing was never an
2:53:01essential part of having fun. So, they
2:53:04danced until they were tired. And then
2:53:06the instructors began to slowly pick
2:53:08students from the crowd to drag back to
2:53:09their afternoon studies. That greatly
2:53:12thinned the crowd and calm down some of
2:53:14the party atmosphere, which was
2:53:16threatening to ruin the schedules of
2:53:17those who were off duty for the
2:53:19afternoon. The teachers didn't mind them
2:53:21unwinding, but if they got so into
2:53:23partying that they forgot to go to sleep
2:53:25on time, they would be tired and
2:53:27sluggish for their next shift on the
2:53:29line. These were still students and
2:53:31couldn't really be counted on to be
2:53:33responsible with their time management
2:53:35when unsupervised.
2:53:37That was why the teachers were here with
2:53:39them instead of just deploying all the
2:53:41elites from the academy wherever they
2:53:42were needed. More soldiers were coming
2:53:45over from the artillery division further
2:53:47down the line, called to enjoy the
2:53:49celebration once they were off duty, and
2:53:51the party was going to run late into the
2:53:53evening. The boar had yielded far more
2:53:55than any of the teachers of the cooking
2:53:57staff had anticipated, but they couldn't
2:53:59keep it hot for multiple days without
2:54:01ruining the quality. It was a pleasant
2:54:04change for Carl, having such a high
2:54:06percentage of happy people around. The
2:54:09battle lines were always fairly grim,
2:54:11but the impromptu party had raised
2:54:13everyone's spirits in a way that he
2:54:14hadn't anticipated when he had first
2:54:16thought to try to get a fancy birthday
2:54:18barbecue.
2:54:19This turned out rather well, didn't it?
2:54:22He asked Lotus, his dance partner at the
2:54:24time when the first of the artillery
2:54:26soldiers finished eating and joined the
2:54:28dance floor. It really did. The hill
2:54:32giants are finally learning what it is
2:54:34like to lose battles. And the troops who
2:54:36have been here since the start of the
2:54:37war are happy to see it. But you should
2:54:40grab a couple of plates to go and sneak
2:54:42back to the tree fort before Morgana
2:54:44changes her mind and decides that you
2:54:46should have lessons this afternoon after
2:54:47all. She informed him with a wink. Carl
2:54:51headed off to the fort with the food and
2:54:54found Dana waiting there for him with a
2:54:55nest made from extra blankets in the
2:54:57empty extra room. It took you long
2:55:00enough. Come lay down and have a rest.
2:55:04She greeted him, gesturing to the pile
2:55:06of blankets next to her. That was where
2:55:09the others found them late that night.
2:55:11Curled up in the blanket pile in the
2:55:13spare room, Dana wrapped in Carl's arms
2:55:16with a magic theory text on one side of
2:55:18them and empty plates on the other.
2:55:20Should we wake them up so they can sleep
2:55:22in a proper bed? Tessa whispered as she
2:55:25saw the two curled up on the blankets.
2:55:28Lotus shrugged. "Or we could make a
2:55:30puppy pile and just all sleep in one
2:55:33spot." Thor thought that was the winning
2:55:35idea, but Ry hadn't made the floor of
2:55:38the fort to support a full-grown
2:55:39lightning sero, as his weight would
2:55:41break the trees that it was attached to.
2:55:43"Let the love birds sleep. I'm sure they
2:55:46won't get up to too much trouble. They
2:55:48usually share a hammock anyhow," Oilia
2:55:51reminded them, referring to the frost
2:55:53giant border where everyone shared for
2:55:55warmth. Lotus nodded. True. And I
2:56:00stocked his toiletries bag with safety
2:56:02precautions. Anyhow, let's sleep. The
2:56:05witch doctor and Remy will be here first
2:56:07thing in the morning to wake Carl for
2:56:08classes. Tessa shook her head at the
2:56:11little nature cleric. Of course, she
2:56:14would have done something like giving
2:56:16Carl condoms before they left the
2:56:17cathedral. Of course, Tessa didn't know
2:56:20that Lotus had stocked Carl's bag long
2:56:22before this mission, but that didn't
2:56:24change the fact that the war cleric was
2:56:26fairly certain things between the beast
2:56:28master and the mage were still on the
2:56:30wholesome level, even while sharing a
2:56:31bed. Carl woke up early the next
2:56:34morning, thanks to his early bedtime and
2:56:36yesterday's activities burning off some
2:56:38excess energy. Dana was a warm ball in
2:56:41his arms, and the blankets on the
2:56:43smooth, slightly stretchy flooring of
2:56:45the fort were warm and comfortable, so
2:56:47he simply lay there a while, enjoying
2:56:49the downtime before he would inevitably
2:56:51be forced to get up and face the day.
2:56:54His shift on the line was in the
2:56:55afternoon today, so he had morning
2:56:57exercise and a class with Morgana, who
2:57:00he noted still had Remy with her, or at
2:57:03the very least the spirit snake had not
2:57:05returned to her space last night. He
2:57:08could feel her approaching just as the
2:57:10sun came up. And then the spirit snake
2:57:12was back in her space and ready for a
2:57:14long nap. She had explored many places
2:57:17in the camp that she had never been to
2:57:18before yesterday, and she had met all
2:57:20sorts of people and tried over a dozen
2:57:22different snacks that Morgana had
2:57:24prepared for her. It was a good day, but
2:57:27she was still exhausted as she came home
2:57:29at the crack of dawn. Carl thought about
2:57:32asking her what she had been up to all
2:57:34night. But Remy was already asleep on
2:57:36her altar, curled up in a protective
2:57:38ball around her lucky statue with her
2:57:40head on the voodoo doll that Morgana had
2:57:42gifted her. Carl carefully got out of
2:57:45bed, flipping the extra blankets over
2:57:47Dana so she didn't get cold, and then
2:57:49equipped his armor as he sensed someone
2:57:51approaching the fort on the ground.
2:57:53"It's just the Morgana," Rey informed
2:57:56him. "Thanks.
2:57:59I'll go see her.
2:58:01Carl climbed down the ladder to find
2:58:02Morgana waiting patiently on the ground.
2:58:05"All right, let's get going. I'm glad
2:58:08that Remy understood my message." She
2:58:11began. "Wait," Remy likely understood,
2:58:15but she forgot and went to sleep as soon
2:58:17as she was home in her space. "I have no
2:58:20idea what you've got planned this
2:58:21morning," Carl informed his adviser. the
2:58:25extra fun stuff that everyone avoids
2:58:27like the plague. The command group wants
2:58:30you, Tank, and the other pair to fill
2:58:32out a report on the battle yesterday
2:58:34morning. It's standard procedure for
2:58:36larger attacks, and nobody else could
2:58:38form a fully coherent report on what
2:58:40happened except you four, she explained.
2:58:44And we're doing this at the break of
2:58:46dawn. Why? Carl asked. So that it is
2:58:50done and sent off before the command
2:58:52group starts to whine about being kept
2:58:54in the dark. They wanted it yesterday,
2:58:57but everyone was either drunk or
2:58:58missing, and you were having some
2:59:00quality time, so I didn't want to
2:59:02interrupt you. Morgana replied with a
2:59:05sly smile. They walked toward the camp,
2:59:08passing by the empty training grounds
2:59:10and the mess hall where breakfast was
2:59:12still being prepared. The report
2:59:14shouldn't take long to fill out and then
2:59:16you can get back to your usual morning
2:59:18activities.
2:59:19The academy says that 3 days a week of
2:59:22classes a week are enough while we're on
2:59:24the line. They think that the extra
2:59:26classes will burn out the students when
2:59:28they're needed for combat, so the actual
2:59:30academy training will have to wait. She
2:59:33sighed as they reached one of the
2:59:34lessons tents. Carl chuckled. That has
2:59:38to be hard on the teachers. Or are you
2:59:41going to split up the students between
2:59:42classes so you still have duties every
2:59:44day? I mean, you can fill space on the
2:59:47lines since you're all commanders, but
2:59:50it's probably better to keep you in
2:59:51reserve. Morgana shook her head. That's
2:59:55about what it's going to come to.
2:59:57They're worried that now that we've
2:59:59proven we can kill royal rankill giants,
3:00:01they will start sending them all the
3:00:03time, and that will leave us short on
3:00:04commanders to deal with the actual
3:00:06attack.
3:00:08So, we're too good at our jobs, and
3:00:10they're worried that being too good at
3:00:11our jobs will get us a promotion in
3:00:13target priority. I suppose that is
3:00:16valid. There must have been other Royal
3:00:18Rank kills along the line, though. Carl
3:00:22noted. Of course, I seem to recall
3:00:26someone making a spectacle of themselves
3:00:28yesterday. Carl shrugged. As I said
3:00:32before, Rey is an artist. You understand
3:00:35that isn't going to fly in an official
3:00:37report, right? You can't just tell them
3:00:40that you let your pet monster go all
3:00:42Vlad the Impaler on the battlefield in
3:00:44the name of art. Carl considered that
3:00:46for a moment. No, actually, I think that
3:00:50I can and I will. If I inform them that
3:00:53it was a psychological warfare tactic
3:00:55designed to intimidate the hill giants
3:00:57and reduce their combat effectiveness,
3:00:59they might even believe that it was a
3:01:01good idea. I mean, it did work.
3:01:04We scored an overwhelming victory
3:01:06against the hill giant attack force. And
3:01:09when the forms are all filled out, that
3:01:11is the only part that is really going to
3:01:12matter to them. Morgana sighed, then
3:01:16began to smile. Fine, do it your way. I
3:01:20want to see what happens when they read
3:01:22that report. So did Carl. In fact, he
3:01:26would pay good money to be in the room
3:01:28when that bunch of aging politicians
3:01:29read the report and found out that he
3:01:31was stringing uphill giants to terrorize
3:01:33their companions.
3:01:35The giants had been known to do the same
3:01:37thing, leaving human heads and trees or
3:01:39severed limbs and other signs that
3:01:41trespassers were not welcome. It was
3:01:44generally accepted as a barbaric
3:01:46practice, but nobody would say that the
3:01:48hill giants might misunderstand the
3:01:50meaning. They sat at an empty table and
3:01:53Carl began to work on his report while
3:01:55mostly ignoring the strange looks that
3:01:57he was getting from the other students
3:01:58in the room. They all looked like mages,
3:02:01but none of them were speaking as they
3:02:03worked. So Carl wrote his report in
3:02:05silence and didn't disturb them. Morgana
3:02:08was right. It didn't take long. And when
3:02:10Carl was satisfied that it was an
3:02:12accurate reflection of what actually
3:02:14happened in the battle, he passed it to
3:02:16her to read. All right, that is fine.
3:02:20that as well. You actually write
3:02:22incident reports quite well. Did you do
3:02:25a lot of these in the minds? She asked.
3:02:29Yeah. I often got nominated to fill out
3:02:32everyone on the day shifts reports
3:02:34because I was good at using the words
3:02:35that the shift manager wanted to see and
3:02:37I didn't know him, so I wasn't tempted
3:02:39to tell him off in the report. Carl
3:02:42agreed.
3:02:44So, your co-workers just turned and made
3:02:46up safety reports? Morgana asked,
3:02:49appalled.
3:02:50Should we have just told them that the
3:02:52shaft went in the wrong direction or a
3:02:54hammer was dropped and broke a worker's
3:02:56foot because half the shift was
3:02:57staggering drunk? That wouldn't end
3:03:00well. So, yeah, we made up something
3:03:03nice and came up with a solution that
3:03:05didn't actually involve changing
3:03:06anything. I learned how from my dad,
3:03:10Carl replied.
3:03:12From behind them, there was a deep
3:03:14chuckle and Carl turned to see two
3:03:16elderly generals standing at the door of
3:03:18the tent. Now I'm even more interested
3:03:20to see what is in that report.
3:03:22Commanders,
3:03:24I am General Stonewall and this is
3:03:26General Jackson of the War Department
3:03:28Central Operations Group. The older man
3:03:31introduced himself before tucking his
3:03:33cover into a pocket. To what do we owe
3:03:36the honor, generals? Carl asked. General
3:03:40Stonewall shook his hand with a firm
3:03:42grip and then nodded to Morgana. We are
3:03:45actually on a regularly scheduled line
3:03:47inspection. We just have good timing, it
3:03:50seems, as your segment is all that
3:03:52anyone can talk about today. Carl
3:03:54nodded. Two Royal Rank kills in one
3:03:57battle with zero permanent casualties
3:04:00from what I heard. The soldiers who
3:04:02faced the main assault have a good
3:04:04reason to be proud of themselves.
3:04:06General Stonewall nodded in agreement
3:04:09and looked at the report on the table.
3:04:11And where were you during this incident?
3:04:14I went with the strike team to deal with
3:04:15the royal rank threat. Myself, a
3:04:18berserker, and two warriors, all at the
3:04:21commander rank. The line extended
3:04:23forward at our backs to form a solid
3:04:25breach and isolate the far flank of the
3:04:27hill giant assault. All quite textbook,
3:04:31if I do say so myself,
3:04:33Carl explained.
3:04:35Morgana handed the report over to
3:04:37General Jackson, who thumbmed through
3:04:39it, paused, and then started over
3:04:41reading it in much more detail. It's a
3:04:44shame that we didn't have video footage
3:04:46of the whole incident. This one sounds
3:04:49like it was quite the event, especially
3:04:52this bit about creating a display of
3:04:53corpses to taunt the hill giants and the
3:04:56way that both teams managed to duel
3:04:58their opponents successfully.
3:05:00That is an uncommon skill among the
3:05:02active elites. The royal rank is a
3:05:05significant advantage over a commander.
3:05:08General Jackson noted as he read, his
3:05:10face never losing its stern expression.
3:05:13Carl nodded. Working in large groups
3:05:16does have its advantages, especially in
3:05:18stacked buff abilities. The two generals
3:05:21gave each other a silent look and then
3:05:23sat down at the table with Carl and
3:05:25Morgana, making it clear that they were
3:05:27going to be here for a while. What about
3:05:30tactics?
3:05:31It has become painfully obvious to some
3:05:33of us that the way that the elites fight
3:05:35the giants and the way that the church's
3:05:37armies fight the giants is not the same.
3:05:40Too many of us had gotten comfortable in
3:05:42our thinking long before the mass
3:05:44injections. And now that there is a new
3:05:46way of fighting, we're not adapting fast
3:05:48enough. General Jackson announced as the
3:05:51cook brought them coffee. Morgana turned
3:05:54to Carl as he had the most highlevel
3:05:56combat experience in the room at the
3:05:58moment. Carl nodded.
3:06:01Basically, you want three things. You
3:06:04want someone with the defensive skills
3:06:06and damage reduction abilities to keep
3:06:08the target occupied. Then, you want
3:06:10someone who can slow them or weaken
3:06:12them. And finally, you want burst
3:06:14damage, a skill that can deal a massive
3:06:16amount of damage at once to swing the
3:06:18battle even if it doesn't outright kill
3:06:20the target. If you try to grind them
3:06:23down, you're going to take casualties.
3:06:26So, you need the first two to be strong
3:06:28enough that the third one can set up for
3:06:30the kill. In the last battle, we split
3:06:33into pairs, and I started out grabbing
3:06:35the targets attention while the other
3:06:37commander went for the giant's more
3:06:38vulnerable back, hampering the giant's
3:06:40movement. Then, we drew it back away
3:06:43from its reinforcements and traded rolls
3:06:46so I could take out one of its knees
3:06:47while he had the giant's attention.
3:06:50Finally, I called in the spider-shaped
3:06:52golems to attack its back and face so I
3:06:54could land the killing blow. The burst
3:06:57damage to end the fight quickly. General
3:07:00Stonewall side. It sounds so easy when
3:07:03you put it that way, but how do we even
3:07:05plan that? We have the skill sets of the
3:07:08various elites, but being able to tell
3:07:10how they'll work together is too
3:07:12unpredictable.
3:07:13For example, look at this one. He put a
3:07:17folder on the table and Carl looked it
3:07:19over. 26-year-old commander rank warrior
3:07:22with the usual cleave, shield slam,
3:07:25guard, and slash skills. He also knew
3:07:28holy blade, which gave Carl the idea
3:07:30that he might be part of the church
3:07:32guard. Looks like a bog standard
3:07:34warrior, except for that last skill. I
3:07:38take it that he's a commander of the
3:07:39church guard, Carl asked. General
3:07:43Stonewall shook his head. He's the
3:07:46assistant attorney general and he's
3:07:47managed to find loopholes to avoid
3:07:49combat deployment since he left the
3:07:51academy 8 years ago. He's never swung a
3:07:54blade in anger in his life and he's
3:07:56currently being detained as a deserter.
3:07:59Carl frowned.
3:08:01Well, I have to say I didn't see that
3:08:03answer coming and you've got a damned
3:08:05fine point. If all you have to go on is
3:08:08their rank and skills, it's nearly
3:08:10impossible to effectively plan a combat
3:08:12deployment.
3:08:14For example, Morgana and I are both
3:08:16commanders, but when we go into combat,
3:08:19we would want very different people with
3:08:20us. And a list of skills isn't going to
3:08:23tell us who that is. There's too much
3:08:25that goes into building a solid team to
3:08:27build it from a list of dossas in an
3:08:29office somewhere in the capital. Both
3:08:32generals nodded. Team building works
3:08:35best on this sort of scale where we have
3:08:37hundreds of elites in one spot and they
3:08:39can pick their teams on their own, but
3:08:41that's never going to fly for most
3:08:43assignments.
3:08:45Carl frowned. But why couldn't it? I
3:08:49mean, there are some like that lawyer,
3:08:51the ones who are just slackers or
3:08:52cowards, but letting the elite submit
3:08:54team compositions that they've worked
3:08:56with in the past that they know work
3:08:57shouldn't be that much harder to work
3:08:59with. Then if you do have to requisition
3:09:02their services, you can do it in a way
3:09:04that they agree should be feasible.
3:09:07General Jackson sighed and tapped the
3:09:09assistant attorney general's file. He
3:09:11suggested that as well, but the team
3:09:13that he recommended always had him with
3:09:15four royal rank elites to take on
3:09:17ascended ranked challenges with the
3:09:19excuse that he was too valuable to the
3:09:21nation to be lost in combat. Carl and
3:09:24Morgana both laughed before Carl
3:09:26answered the general. Funny how money
3:09:29makes people think that they're more
3:09:30important to society, isn't it? If he
3:09:33got laid off from his job, he would just
3:09:35be some guy with a law degree, but the
3:09:38money he has saved would still make him
3:09:39believe that he was important. Morgana
3:09:42smirked at him. You know, you've likely
3:09:45got more money than he does. The rewards
3:09:48for higher ranked combat kills are quite
3:09:50significant, and the pay for government
3:09:52employees isn't all that great. It's the
3:09:55political power that they enjoy the
3:09:57most.
3:09:58General Jackson laughed along with them.
3:10:01He's actually quite wealthy, or at least
3:10:03his family is. His father owns and
3:10:06operates three coal mines in the South.
3:10:09It was his father's influence that got
3:10:11him the job, and it's his father's
3:10:13influence that kept him out of prison
3:10:14for dodging his duties. There are a
3:10:17number like that who we would prefer to
3:10:19delete from the official roles, demoting
3:10:21them from elite status and simply
3:10:23marking them as dangers to society. But
3:10:25there are too many in the government who
3:10:26are afraid they would be on that list.
3:10:29"So, you're on a tour of the front
3:10:31lines, looking for real answers that
3:10:33might help increase military
3:10:34efficiency?"
3:10:36Carl asked. Both generals nodded. "Yes,
3:10:40that is our job. In theory, it is the
3:10:44duty of every member of the command
3:10:45staff, but a lot of them seem to have
3:10:47forgotten that." The presence of the
3:10:50elites has shaken everything up, and
3:10:52thousands of years of practice became
3:10:54largely irrelevant once fighters who
3:10:55could solo dangerous monsters like the
3:10:57hill giants became so common. Carl
3:11:00chuckled. For me, it has been most of my
3:11:03life, but you're both what, 50. It's
3:11:06quite recent for you. General Stonewall
3:11:09smiled indulgently at him. I am 64 years
3:11:13old. I was over 50 when the first class
3:11:16graduated and I was in my mid-50s when
3:11:19the injections became a nationwide
3:11:21practice. I doubt your generation quite
3:11:24understands how controversial that
3:11:25measure was. It was controversial to
3:11:28give everyone the chance to become
3:11:30elites, like some sort of class warfare
3:11:33thing. Carl asked. General Stonewall
3:11:37shook his head. One in a hundred dies
3:11:40from the injection.
3:11:41Now most of them can be revived by the
3:11:44clerics but a good portion of their
3:11:46souls detach from the body and
3:11:47resurrection doesn't work on them. Do
3:11:50you know how many parents we have to
3:11:52send letters to every year telling them
3:11:54that their child was the unlucky one who
3:11:56passed during the attempt to become an
3:11:57elite? Quick math said a lot. He just
3:12:01hadn't noticed because the school in his
3:12:03hometown only had a few dozen students
3:12:05per year and they hadn't personally lost
3:12:07anyone. I guess you have a point. Plenty
3:12:11of elites meet a tragic end, but they at
3:12:13least got a chance. Carl agreed
3:12:16reluctantly.
3:12:18Are you one of those that believes it's
3:12:19the divine will of the world dragon that
3:12:21not everyone survives the injections?
3:12:24The aging general asked. Morgana looked
3:12:27a bit nervous, but Carl just chuckled.
3:12:30I'm not the sort to get all
3:12:32philosophical general. I will leave
3:12:35matters of theology and divine favor for
3:12:37the clergy to interpret. For all I know,
3:12:40it could just be a manufacturing error
3:12:42on our side. There are people who die to
3:12:45a peanut butter sandwich, so whatever we
3:12:48made the injection out of might well be
3:12:49toxic to some of the recipients,
3:12:52he explained.
3:12:54The general was a bit startled at that
3:12:56and was about to retort before he
3:12:58thought about it. You know, you might be
3:13:00right. I remember many years ago there
3:13:03was a child in my class who got
3:13:05incredibly sick after taking a healing
3:13:07potion. The potion was fine, but his
3:13:10body reacted to it like poison. Morgana
3:13:14sideighed. Do none of you know what an
3:13:16allergic reaction is like with cats or
3:13:19pollen? I don't think that applies to
3:13:22medicine. General Stonewall replied,
3:13:25"You can be allergic to nearly anything,
3:13:28even medicine.
3:13:30Trust me, I'm a witch doctor. She added,
3:13:35"Well, I won't argue with an expert."
3:13:38The general shrugged while Carl did his
3:13:40best not to laugh. As she had said the
3:13:43day they met, she was a witch doctor,
3:13:45not a witch and a doctor. Now, while we
3:13:48have you both here, and with two such
3:13:50unusual classes, we have a few more
3:13:52questions we hope to get answers to
3:13:54during our routine inspection.
3:13:56General Jackson informed them with a
3:13:58smile that said he realized the
3:14:00knowledge gap was because she was more
3:14:01educated than any of the others, not her
3:14:04class marking. The generals had made an
3:14:06actual list, a few dozen questions that
3:14:09they wanted answers to, as well as a
3:14:11sheet of inventory that they had already
3:14:12checked for before they entered the mess
3:14:14hall. Carl could see that they had
3:14:17already checked the munitions reserves,
3:14:19the supply tents, spare weapons, and
3:14:21sleeping gear, as well as dozens of
3:14:23other items, right down to the
3:14:25maintenance of the walkways between the
3:14:26dorm tents. Carl hadn't realized that
3:14:29there were even regulations on most of
3:14:31these things. But from what he could see
3:14:33in their documents, there wasn't
3:14:35anything in the camp that the army
3:14:36didn't have a regulation or checklist
3:14:38for. First, are either of you in the
3:14:41non-standard sleeping areas outside of
3:14:43the main camp? General Stonewall asked.
3:14:47I am. Carl confirmed.
3:14:50Have you had any flooding or excessive
3:14:52mud issues with your sleeping area? The
3:14:55general asked. Oh, that area. No, I'm in
3:15:00an elevated sleeping situation in the
3:15:02stand of trees just beyond those. If you
3:15:05look out the door and pay close
3:15:07attention, you can see the walls of my
3:15:09sleeping unit about 5 m off the ground.
3:15:12Carl explained, "You sleep in the trees.
3:15:16Is that an innate fondness of your
3:15:18class? I have heard that many elites
3:15:20have particular tendencies due to their
3:15:22advancements."
3:15:24Carl shook his head. Yes, it's because
3:15:27of my class, but not a mental quirk. One
3:15:31of my bonded beasts is a bloodbath
3:15:32spider and she excels in creating
3:15:34large-scale webs including silk sheets
3:15:37that can be used to create sleeping
3:15:39quarters. That is where my group is
3:15:41staying now. It is better to be together
3:15:44when an alarm is sounded at night so we
3:15:46don't have to look for stragglers.
3:15:48The webs are commander rank monster silk
3:15:51and they serve as a primary defensive
3:15:53device as well. So there is no loss of
3:15:55safety in our arrangement. I take it
3:15:58that this has been approved by prior
3:16:00regional supervisors.
3:16:02The general asked regional supervisors,
3:16:05battalion commanders, and even high
3:16:07clergy.
3:16:09Carl agreed. That's good enough for me.
3:16:13Now, as a commander rank elite, what are
3:16:15both of your opinions on the
3:16:16effectiveness of the continued artillery
3:16:18presence on the border? Carl shrugged.
3:16:22It's loud, but it helps keep the hill
3:16:24giants far enough off that we have time
3:16:26to form up when an attack starts.
3:16:29Without that constant harassment, they
3:16:31would definitely form up closer to our
3:16:33lines." Morana nodded. Here, their
3:16:37primary purpose is deterrent, as the
3:16:39direct blasts are less likely to cause
3:16:41significant casualties against these
3:16:43targets than they are against awakened
3:16:44rank or common monsters. I know that
3:16:47isn't the answer that most of the
3:16:48military wants to hear, but with regular
3:16:51munitions, you can't really expect them
3:16:53to do much to a commander ranked giant.
3:16:56So, your consensus is that it would be
3:16:58better to keep them active on the line
3:16:59than to remove them and redeploy them
3:17:01against softer targets? General
3:17:04Stonewall asked. They both shrugged.
3:17:08Where they're needed most is above our
3:17:09pay grade, but we can say with some
3:17:12certainty that they're not useless here.
3:17:15General Stonewall chuckled. Excellent
3:17:18answer. All right. Next is about
3:17:21supplies.
3:17:22Are there any particular shortages that
3:17:24you have noticed? Morana looked at the
3:17:27buffet that the cooks were setting up.
3:17:29Well, I wouldn't call it a shortage, but
3:17:31if it's possible to get at least some
3:17:33raw ingredients here to make fresh food,
3:17:35it would be appreciated by the troops.
3:17:38Too much canned, shelf stable,
3:17:40everything is hard on morale. Even the
3:17:43bread is canned and that can be made
3:17:45from shelf stable ingredients here in
3:17:47the camp. We had a barbecue the other
3:17:50day and you would think that the
3:17:51soldiers had never seen food before. She
3:17:54informed the generals. The general
3:17:57laughed. That's the story of soldiers
3:18:00everywhere. The food always sucks and
3:18:03the opportunity for fresh meat and
3:18:05vegetables is far too rare. But how did
3:18:08you manage a barbecue? Carl raised his
3:18:11hand.
3:18:12That would be me. One of the secondary
3:18:15abilities of my class is to store food
3:18:17for my beasts in a separate space.
3:18:20Sometimes there is a bit of extra that
3:18:22is suitable for human consumption. So, I
3:18:24will pull it out and share it with the
3:18:26others. This time it was one of the
3:18:28giant pigs that I grabbed for hawk from
3:18:30the frost giant nation. The general
3:18:33looked confused for a second. Just how
3:18:36big is this pet in question? The pig was
3:18:39claimed by the dragon hawk. So about 10
3:18:41kilos, give or take. I've never actually
3:18:45weighed him, but about normalsized for a
3:18:48dragon hawk, large for a normal bird,
3:18:51Carl replied with a shrug. And he
3:18:54claimed an entire giant pig. An awakened
3:18:57beast that weighs over two tons? The
3:19:00general asked. More than one, actually,
3:19:03but that's a whole other story. He's
3:19:06very protective of things that he
3:19:07believes are his food. Morgana laughed
3:19:10and the general smiled. You make it
3:19:13sound as if they're your children. They
3:19:16are in a way. We share a mental link, so
3:19:19I know everything that they're thinking,
3:19:21and they seem to be smarter than other
3:19:22magical beasts of their type. They don't
3:19:25have any problems understanding humans,
3:19:27and they can form more creative answers
3:19:29than half of the people I meet, though
3:19:31the answers can be a bit predictable.
3:19:34Carl explained.
3:19:36Predictable?
3:19:37Carl nodded.
3:19:39Hulk will be hungry and he hates all
3:19:41things cold or water magic. Rey has a
3:19:45very tortured artist dark vibe going on
3:19:47and Thor just wants to meet new people
3:19:49while Remy is somewhat selective with a
3:19:51bias towards people who are more attuned
3:19:53to the elements. The generals both look
3:19:56down at their notes. I don't have
3:19:59anything about this Remy before you
3:20:00arrived here. Are they very newly
3:20:03bonded? Carl shook his head. No, she's
3:20:08just a bit shy and she's a spirit snake,
3:20:10a cold-blooded monster, so she's not a
3:20:13big fan of anything cold. Now that we're
3:20:16on the hill giant border, she has been
3:20:18coming out more. General Jackson flipped
3:20:21the pages of their investigative report.
3:20:24Wonderful. We can start there. Do you
3:20:27believe the weather here is causing
3:20:28major issues with the war effort? Carl
3:20:31chuckled. You really do have a question
3:20:34for everything, don't you? No, the
3:20:37weather here has been cooperative since
3:20:39I arrived. This portion of the battle is
3:20:42not suffering from the weather, and
3:20:43certainly not in the way that the frost
3:20:45giant border is. General Stonewall
3:20:48nodded. The mountain giant border has
3:20:51been receiving torrential rainfall
3:20:52lately for no apparent reason. We
3:20:55suspect that it is magical, but it is
3:20:57causing major issues with the efforts to
3:20:59move through the mountains to find their
3:21:01hiding spots.
3:21:02The mountain giants are in hiding,
3:21:05Morgana asked. We could only wish. No,
3:21:10we've been having issues trying to track
3:21:11them as they retreat between
3:21:13engagements.
3:21:14Without that information, it is
3:21:16exceptionally difficult to guess what
3:21:18part of that treacherous terrain will be
3:21:20the target of the next major offensive.
3:21:22But we should focus on this portion of
3:21:24the hill giant border first. We are
3:21:27hoping to make changes in the ways that
3:21:29the elites are deployed, but we don't
3:21:31fully understand their battle tactics
3:21:33yet. I believe that there was some
3:21:35footage taken lately, but most of it was
3:21:37taken by the infantry, and the scenes of
3:21:39the elites in combat are somewhat
3:21:41distant.
3:21:42So, we are forced to ask directly
3:21:45instead of reviewing solid data. Morgana
3:21:48laughed while Carl sipped coffee to hide
3:21:50his smile. "What's so amusing about
3:21:53that?" the general asked. Morgana
3:21:57sideighed. Have you ever seen a unit of
3:21:59elites fighting up close? Not all skills
3:22:03originate at a caster, and many of the
3:22:05movements require enhanced eyesight to
3:22:07properly track. The combat techniques
3:22:10are completely individualized, even if
3:22:12they're the same on paper. In short, I'm
3:22:15not sure that watching will do you much
3:22:17good. And we're right back at where we
3:22:19started with the fact that elites on
3:22:21paper and elites in the field have
3:22:23nothing in common as with the assistant
3:22:25attorney general. General Stonewall
3:22:28grumbled. But we can still tell you all
3:22:30about the camp. Carl offered helpfully.
3:22:34All right, let's start with that. I see
3:22:37that the artillery battalion is all off
3:22:39to one side of the line. Why is that? In
3:22:43the technical manual, it prescribes that
3:22:45they should be spread down the entire
3:22:47line to increase the effective carpeted
3:22:49area of the bombardment.
3:22:51Carl had no idea who had chosen that
3:22:53deployment or why, but fortunately for
3:22:55him, they weren't alone in the room. One
3:22:58of the warrior class professors sat down
3:23:00with them. Generals, I am Commander
3:23:03Smith. I teach blunt weapons for the
3:23:05warrior class elites, but I am the one
3:23:08who ordered that deployment for the
3:23:09artillery.
3:23:11You see, we defend them with skills, but
3:23:13if we spread them out, we can't have one
3:23:15elite cover more than one piece of
3:23:17equipment. It is more resource effective
3:23:20to have a small number of powerful
3:23:21elites defend the artillery than to
3:23:23spread them out and constantly defend 50
3:23:25different points along the line. So, it
3:23:28is a manpower issue. Would sending more
3:23:31elites help? General Jackson asked.
3:23:35Smith shook his head. No, you're missing
3:23:38the point. The reduced bombardment range
3:23:41is inconsequential to their actual
3:23:43function. They can still provide
3:23:46suppressive fire when clustered. The
3:23:49primary original reason for spreading
3:23:50them was to reduce losses to enemy
3:23:52artillery, but we have elites for that
3:23:55now, and they can erect magical barriers
3:23:57to stop incoming artillery. So, we don't
3:24:00need to spread them anymore.
3:24:02In fact, if we were to spread them, we
3:24:04would have to stop defending them for
3:24:06practical reasons, and they would become
3:24:08sacrificial targets in nearly every
3:24:10battle. Ah, I see now. So, the tactics
3:24:14have already been updated, and command
3:24:16simply didn't understand the reason.
3:24:19Please continue. The longer they sat at
3:24:22the table with the generals, the more
3:24:23people they gathered, mostly professors,
3:24:26but some of the commander rank elites
3:24:27from the army unit who came to scope the
3:24:29kitchen for leftover barbecue, and a few
3:24:32high priests who were pretending they
3:24:34hadn't come for the exact same reason.
3:24:37That took a lot of the weight off Carl
3:24:38and Morgana, who now rarely had to
3:24:40answer questions for the generals, but
3:24:42they were at the table with them, and
3:24:44there was no polite way to excuse
3:24:46themselves for the next 3 hours as they
3:24:48finished their question session.
3:24:50Then the generals finally excused
3:24:52themselves to go to the line and check
3:24:53the veracity of the answers they had
3:24:55gotten. And Morgana could finally begin
3:24:57her lessons. But by then it was almost
3:25:00time for Carl to go on duty at the line
3:25:02and it was time for lunch. So she wasn't
3:25:06happy to have lost a large portion of
3:25:07her already reduced teaching time to the
3:25:09questions of the generals, but the other
3:25:11students who hadn't had to study today
3:25:13didn't mind in the least. Carl headed to
3:25:16the line for his afternoon shift and
3:25:18spent most of the first two hours trying
3:25:20to decide if Tessa had actually advanced
3:25:22to commander rank. It felt like she had,
3:25:25but the beasts were split on it. She
3:25:28felt more dragon, and that was messing
3:25:30with Hawk's ability to tell how powerful
3:25:32she was, while Remy thought she just
3:25:34smelled fantastic. So, it was down to
3:25:36Thor and Ray's opinions that she had
3:25:38advanced to commander rank. It was
3:25:40certain that something had changed after
3:25:42that last surge of divine energy,
3:25:44though.
3:25:45There wasn't much else to do along the
3:25:47line that day. The hill giants had
3:25:50pulled back to the point that the
3:25:51artillery was only sporadically firing
3:25:53and the weather was mild. So, everyone
3:25:55just sat around watching the horizon for
3:25:57signs that something was about to
3:25:59happen. That was the opposite of what
3:26:02was going on along most of the line
3:26:03where the hill giants had renewed their
3:26:05push and even sent extra troops forward
3:26:07to see if they could cause a breach and
3:26:09push the elites back, forcing them to
3:26:11regroup further into the formerly human-
3:26:13held territories.
3:26:15They weren't normally as aggressive as
3:26:16the frost giants have been with their
3:26:18cloning program in place, but the hill
3:26:20giants had the power advantage with so
3:26:23many of the powerful elites dealing with
3:26:24the mountain giants. The mountain giants
3:26:27had a comparatively minuscule population
3:26:29and a much smaller territory, but their
3:26:32absolute power made sure that none of
3:26:34their neighbors would dare to mess with
3:26:35them. It was a strange situation for
3:26:38Carl and his team who had gotten so used
3:26:40to being behind enemy lines in the frost
3:26:42giant nation with constant targets to
3:26:44attack that they didn't really know what
3:26:46to do with themselves in a situation
3:26:48where the order was to hurry up and
3:26:50wait. But it was a bit like a vacation
3:26:53just leaning back against Thor who was
3:26:55napping in the sun. Dana was leaning up
3:26:58against his side while Lotus had turned
3:27:00Thor's head into a sun lounger, resting
3:27:02against his crest and between his horns
3:27:04while Tessa lay on Thor's back watching
3:27:07the horizon. You look mighty relaxed for
3:27:10a combat deployment. One of the other
3:27:12students noted. We can still see the
3:27:15horizon. But you are right. This is much
3:27:18better than standing around doing
3:27:20nothing. In fact, if I don't go too
3:27:23deeply into meditation, I can even work
3:27:25on my mental focus while we wait for the
3:27:27hill giants to decide what they're
3:27:29doing. Carl agreed. As long as you're
3:27:33not actually slacking when the attack
3:27:34comes, we've all got bets on how many
3:27:37giants they're going to send at you
3:27:39after you taunted them yesterday. The
3:27:41warrior laughed. Lotus looked over from
3:27:44her resting spot. The average from the
3:27:47battle report says that in two days for
3:27:50royal rank giants will be sent to test
3:27:52us again. That's how the hill giants
3:27:54usually operate. They double their force
3:27:56if an attack fails. But we've been
3:27:59getting smaller attacks than most other
3:28:01portions of the line. So perhaps they
3:28:03will leave us for a while longer. That
3:28:06doesn't sound like a solid answer.
3:28:08Priestess
3:28:09the warrior joked. Tessa looked down
3:28:12from Thor's back and laughed. She's a
3:28:15nature priestess. If she makes a
3:28:17prediction, it will likely come true
3:28:19simply so that she's not made into a
3:28:21liar. Do you want her to give a solid
3:28:24answer? The warrior shook his head. I
3:28:28forgot to factor in divine favor. What
3:28:31do we have to kill to get an entire week
3:28:33off? All of them and a couple of humans
3:28:35who are a bit taller than average for
3:28:37good luck should do it. Ry suggested.
3:28:41Carl laughed quietly and the priestesses
3:28:43turned to him for answers. Rey says all
3:28:47of them. He explained
3:28:50for one week off. The warrior asked.
3:28:54Yeah, I think that she's underestimated
3:28:56the efficiency of the clergy. They'll
3:28:58have us filling out reports in no more
3:29:00than 3 days if we actually manage it. No
3:29:04way will we get an entire week off. Carl
3:29:07replied.
3:29:08Lotus glared down at him.
3:29:11You know, you still owe us for getting
3:29:13stuck with all the paperwork at the
3:29:14cathedral while your arm was healing.
3:29:17That was not my fault. They could have
3:29:19gotten me to write it in the hospital as
3:29:21my pen arm was still working. Tessa
3:29:24laughed. Did you forget that you had a
3:29:27venomous snake in your sling? Half the
3:29:30staff were afraid to come into your room
3:29:31in case Remy bit them. Dana smiled as
3:29:35Remy slithered out of her space to see
3:29:36who was talking about her. She could
3:29:39tell what was going on around them just
3:29:41fine from inside, but with her own eyes
3:29:43out here in the sunshine was better
3:29:45somehow. She climbed up Carl and across
3:29:48Thor's rough scales to wrap around his
3:29:50horn where Lotus could pet her head.
3:29:52Hulk was slowly soaring above them, and
3:29:55Ry was happier in the darkness of her
3:29:56space than out in the direct sunlight.
3:29:58So that was how they remained until
3:30:00dinner when the shift changed again and
3:30:02the first night shift took over from
3:30:04them. Dana sighed as Carl helped her to
3:30:07her feet.
3:30:08You know, that was actually more
3:30:10productive than expected. I got a lot of
3:30:13meditation done. Carl nodded. Yeah, it
3:30:17has been a good day for energy building.
3:30:20We don't get enough time to properly
3:30:22meditate and build mental strength these
3:30:24days, and that's most of what is holding
3:30:26back the beast's progression. Just a bit
3:30:28more and we can get little Miss Remy up
3:30:30to commander rank and balance the team.
3:30:33She's the newest member, so she's had
3:30:35the most work to do to catch up to the
3:30:37others. But she's got good potential. I
3:30:40think she can catch all the way up. Remy
3:30:43nodded happily from her spot around
3:30:45Thor's horn before sliding down to
3:30:47vanish into Lotus robes and appear again
3:30:49from a hip pocket. Remy, what are you
3:30:52doing? Carl asked out loud. It's warm
3:30:56here, and I didn't want to get all dirty
3:30:58going over to you. You know, you could
3:31:01have stayed on Thor's horn.
3:31:03He's going to nap in his pool soon. He
3:31:06always does after a shift. It wasn't
3:31:09like Lotusminded.
3:31:11She hadn't noticed that there was a hole
3:31:12in her pocket, but it was a pleasant
3:31:14surprise now that she realized it let
3:31:16Remy escape her robes and find a spot to
3:31:18hang out. But the spirit snake didn't
3:31:21stay there long. She had forgotten one
3:31:24vital fact. Lotus was very short. From
3:31:28her waist, Remy couldn't see anything
3:31:30but everyone else's legs.
3:31:33So, she moved back up the robe to drape
3:31:35herself over Lotus shoulders with her
3:31:37head on top of the nature priestess.
3:31:40Better. Still not as good of a view as
3:31:43Morgana, but nature priestesses are kind
3:31:45of warm in a different way than witch
3:31:47doctors. Carl wasn't sure what that
3:31:50meant. They were both the same
3:31:52temperature, so it had to be something
3:31:54to do with their magic. Well, I'm glad
3:31:57you found a good spot. Carl teased the
3:32:00fickle snake. She didn't enjoy riding on
3:32:03Carl as the view was the same as being
3:32:05in her space, which was pointless in her
3:32:07mind. She could already find out what he
3:32:10was seeing, so it was much better to see
3:32:12what other people were looking at. The
3:32:15next day was an off day from the line
3:32:17and an off day from classes as well,
3:32:19which left everyone a bit confused as to
3:32:21what they should be doing. Both Tessa
3:32:24and Lotus were assigned to Carl's team
3:32:26and not to the healer's core like the
3:32:27other clerics were. So, they didn't have
3:32:29duties, and that was a new feeling for
3:32:31them all. It was a bit like being back
3:32:34in the hospital, sitting around and
3:32:36waiting for something to happen with
3:32:38nothing actually happening to keep you
3:32:39entertained.
3:32:41Very dull for someone used to being
3:32:43constantly active.
3:32:45Instead, they all spent most of the
3:32:47morning in meditation while Carl worked
3:32:49to push the energy level and the focuses
3:32:51back to peak so he could spread another
3:32:53layer over the spaces. The progress was
3:32:56going much more smoothly than it had the
3:32:58first few times that he had done this.
3:33:00And the extra practice was likely going
3:33:01to save him days per cycle once he had
3:33:03it fully mastered. Every little bit was
3:33:06an improvement on his growth speed. And
3:33:08Carl was feeling optimistic that this
3:33:10time might be the one that was going to
3:33:12yield actual results for him. He managed
3:33:15to finish the layer just after lunch and
3:33:17stabilized the new focuses before
3:33:19dinner. The first sign that things were
3:33:22going right was Remy's change of habits.
3:33:24She made herself a cleansing scrub out
3:33:26of coarse sand and bits of the
3:33:28crystallin plants from her space, then
3:33:30soaked in a bath of monster blood, which
3:33:32was normal for Rey, but out of character
3:33:34for the cleanliness obsessed snake. The
3:33:37blood softened her outer skin, and a few
3:33:39minutes of rolling around in the
3:33:41cleansing scrub had it all peeled off
3:33:42and her new skin nice and shiny. Then
3:33:46she began to expand the same way that
3:33:48Hawk had when he ate all the magical
3:33:50resources as a juvenile. Remy had been
3:33:53living on that level of resources so
3:33:55far, as everything that the others had
3:33:57collected was a valuable resource in its
3:33:59own right. But until now, there had been
3:34:02no large changes, and she had just
3:34:04slowly progressed from a tiny snake to a
3:34:06small snake. Energy was surging around
3:34:09Remy, and Carl noticed a sudden
3:34:11imbalance in the space as the other
3:34:13beasts began to push more energy into
3:34:15her portion of the mental construct,
3:34:17flooding the excited spirit snake and
3:34:19allowing her body to continue to grow as
3:34:21she eyed a morsel that she had been
3:34:23saving. Someone had given her the heart
3:34:25of the royal rank frost giant. And while
3:34:28the organ resembled a blue crystal, it
3:34:30seemed to be flexible enough that Remy
3:34:32could squish it into a tube with her
3:34:33coil so that she could eat it whole. It
3:34:36would have been easier to cut it into
3:34:37chunks for her, but it seemed important
3:34:39to her that it was intact, and her body
3:34:42began to swell as the lump moved down
3:34:43her throat and began to rapidly deflate,
3:34:46being digested in a matter of minutes.
3:34:48Remy still looked like Remy, but her
3:34:51power level was certainly at the
3:34:52commander rank now, and she had grown so
3:34:54much that Carl wasn't certain anyone
3:34:56else would recognize her immediately.
3:34:59She certainly wasn't going to fit in
3:35:01Lotus Pocket anymore, and Carl wasn't
3:35:03certain the Dainty Nature Cleric would
3:35:05even be able to carry her anymore. Remy
3:35:08might only weigh 20 kilos, but she was 3
3:35:10m of solid muscle now, and as thick as a
3:35:13baseball bat. Carl got the feeling that
3:35:16she was still far from fully grown and
3:35:18that she would keep increasing in size,
3:35:20but she didn't show any signs of
3:35:22evolving into a naga and remained as the
3:35:24same blue and gold spirit snake that she
3:35:27had always been. But some things had
3:35:29changed. For example, she was now
3:35:32playing with ice balls in the air above
3:35:34her head, blowing them around with
3:35:36controlled gusts from blizzard, while
3:35:38the crystal trees in her swamp glowed
3:35:40with power. It became obvious that she
3:35:43was working on something when she
3:35:44brought out her totems to cast fireballs
3:35:47over the surface of the swamp, keeping
3:35:48the water warm. At first, Carl thought
3:35:52that she was trying to create a new
3:35:53skill by combining fireball with
3:35:55blizzard. But what she was actually
3:35:57working on was much different. The
3:35:59totems expired and Remy made a new set.
3:36:02This time three instead of the two that
3:36:04she could create before and with two
3:36:06Lameia back to back looking around and
3:36:08firing in different directions.
3:36:11That was an impressive increase in the
3:36:12effectiveness of her totems, but it was
3:36:14a side effect of reaching the commander
3:36:16rank and not the actual goal of her
3:36:18experiment.
3:36:20It was the fog at the boundary that she
3:36:21was trying to create. The melted snow
3:36:24and ice from the blizzard infused with
3:36:26all of the water magic, but none of the
3:36:28cold. Then she began to cast chain
3:36:31lightning into the fog. It wasn't doing
3:36:34anything much at the start or even for
3:36:36the next few hours before Carl began to
3:36:38get ready for bed. But when she did
3:36:41finally make it work in her space, Remy
3:36:43had proudly created a brand new skill
3:36:45for herself. Thunderstorm would dump
3:36:48magical rain that ate through everything
3:36:50that it landed on, using water magic to
3:36:52penetrate and tear it apart while random
3:36:55lightning bolts descended from the
3:36:56cloud. Hawk was not impressed. "Why more
3:37:00water?" he demanded, certain that she
3:37:03had been planning to make a proper
3:37:05firestorm out of her blizzard. "Water
3:37:08makes the lightning happy.
3:37:10Look how well it spreads over the wet
3:37:12things," Remy replied, wishing that
3:37:14there was somewhere that she could test
3:37:16this properly. But nothing had attacked
3:37:19them in the past few days, and it would
3:37:21just seem silly to be creating a storm
3:37:23cloud in the middle of nowhere.
3:37:25So, she contented herself with making it
3:37:28rain in her space for a while. All
3:37:30night, in fact, while she practiced
3:37:33changing the temperature of the water so
3:37:34it could be an ice bath or a comfortable
3:37:36shower. The next morning was very
3:37:39similar other than the fact that they
3:37:41had a shift on the line. They were still
3:37:44meditating and working on stabilizing
3:37:45their power. Only now they did it in a
3:37:48nice grassy spot where everyone could
3:37:50lean against Thor. Technically, they
3:37:53were still in position as the SO and the
3:37:55clerics were in the middle of their
3:37:56formation. So, nobody gave them any
3:37:58trouble about it. While Hawk was
3:38:00circling in the sky to see where all the
3:38:02hill giants had gone, Carl had ordered
3:38:05him not to lose sight of their group, so
3:38:07he couldn't go too far, and there were
3:38:09no hill giants anywhere in his visual
3:38:10range other than the ones that were
3:38:12attacking dozens of kilome down the
3:38:14line. He could go help, but they
3:38:17wouldn't know who he was. And the
3:38:18academy wouldn't let Carl move 30 km or
3:38:21more just to join another military
3:38:23unit's fight. So he had to content
3:38:26himself with sightseeing and stealing
3:38:28the occasional rodent as a snack when he
3:38:30saw them on the move. Remy finally got
3:38:33to try out her new spell. That evening,
3:38:36minus the lightning. It was an
3:38:38exceptionally hot day, and a few of the
3:38:40water mages had set up a sprinkler for
3:38:42the offduty students and teachers to
3:38:44cool off. That seemed like an invitation
3:38:47to her, so Remy exited her space,
3:38:50startling Morgana with her size as she
3:38:52landed on the witch doctor's shoulders.
3:38:54You've gotten big. Is this a commander
3:38:57rank Remy that I am seeing? The witch
3:39:00doctor asked. Remy nodded happily and
3:39:03then cast a new thunderstorm spell with
3:39:06the lightning suppressed to create a
3:39:08raincloud 50 m in the air which dumped
3:39:11rain over the small area where everyone
3:39:13was playing in the sprinkler. The
3:39:15students laughed as the event turned
3:39:17into a full-fledged shower. And one of
3:39:19the earth mages quickly turned the area
3:39:21into a stone pool with a sand bottom.
3:39:23approximating a beach. With the way that
3:39:26it was raining in Remy's spell, even
3:39:28suppressed as it was so it didn't hurt
3:39:30anyone, the pool would quickly fill, and
3:39:32then they would have somewhere to relax
3:39:34out of the heat. Morgana was just about
3:39:37to join them, not afraid of getting wet,
3:39:39when a high-pitched, girish scream
3:39:41nearly shattered her eardrums. "Snake!"
3:39:45the boy shouted. "Hey, it's the afraid
3:39:48of snakes guy. I think he peed." Remy
3:39:52informed Carl, too amused to be
3:39:55disgusted by the display of terror.
3:39:57Don't scare him too badly. They still
3:39:59need him to work. Morgana stroked Remy
3:40:02under her chin as the snake extended
3:40:04forward to get a better look at the boy
3:40:06who was again cowering in terror. He
3:40:09froze in panic and then Remy darted
3:40:11forward to bump her head against his
3:40:13nose before retreating to Morgana's
3:40:15embrace. I tried giving him a friendly
3:40:18boop, but I don't think it worked. For a
3:40:21moment, there was chaos as everyone
3:40:23worried that one of the students had
3:40:25been attacked by the spirit snake. But
3:40:27those who were close enough had seen
3:40:28Remy carefully boop him on the nose and
3:40:30knew that he wasn't actually injured,
3:40:32just panicked and hyperventilating.
3:40:35False alarm, everyone. The snake just
3:40:38headbutt him and made him panic. One of
3:40:40the students called out as the elites
3:40:42began to run over to see what the danger
3:40:44was. One of the other teachers stared at
3:40:47Remy for a moment as the snake stared
3:40:49back at her.
3:40:51Is that Remy? I recall that she was much
3:40:54smaller than that. Or is she under the
3:40:56effects of a skill? The mage finally
3:40:59asked. She advanced to commander rank
3:41:02and wanted me to show her around for the
3:41:04afternoon apparently.
3:41:07At least that's the impression that I
3:41:09got when she appeared on my shoulders.
3:41:11Morgana explained.
3:41:14I know that you're Carl's adviser, but
3:41:15you don't have to carry his pets around
3:41:17for him. One of the teachers joked. Remy
3:41:21circled Morgana so she could see who was
3:41:23talking more clearly. And the teacher
3:41:25laughed. It's like she's judging me for
3:41:28questioning her choices.
3:41:30I can see why she doesn't want to travel
3:41:32in the dirt, but still. Isn't she
3:41:34getting a bit large to be carried around
3:41:36on your shoulders? He asked. The student
3:41:40beside him laughed. That look is
3:41:42definitely offended. I think she took
3:41:45that as you calling her fat. The
3:41:48students laughed as they realized that
3:41:49was really what Remy was going for and
3:41:52that the snake had no idea how much more
3:41:54she weighed now than she did when she
3:41:56was a third that length. "Well, we
3:41:58should thank her for the rain at the
3:42:00very least." "It's been so hot here that
3:42:03I'm beginning to wonder what's wrong
3:42:04with the weather," one of the students
3:42:07added. "That was a good point," Remy
3:42:10thought. She knew that it was supposed
3:42:12to be close to winter now, or perhaps in
3:42:15the middle of the winter. She didn't
3:42:17actually know how long seasons lasted.
3:42:20Plus, they were in the hills, and the
3:42:22weather should be cooler here than it
3:42:24was in most places. It was much better
3:42:27than the frost giant nation, but they
3:42:29weren't that far from their borders, so
3:42:31it shouldn't be this warm, she thought.
3:42:33The problem was that she had no way to
3:42:35express that without going through Carl.
3:42:38She was beginning to enjoy learning new
3:42:40spells, but learning to communicate with
3:42:42random humans still seemed like a lot of
3:42:44work for very little result.
3:42:46There should be a Morgana specific way.
3:42:49She thought she only really wanted to
3:42:51talk to people in the group pretty much
3:42:53ever and only wanted to talk to Morgana
3:42:56right now. So why did she have to learn
3:42:58a whole written language? She had
3:43:00learned to read the letters and she had
3:43:02seen Carl making them before, but she
3:43:04didn't have arms. And while her innate
3:43:06water control was good enough to hold a
3:43:08spear, it was not going to make legible
3:43:10letters. Plus, she only knew the runes
3:43:13for so many words. Certainly not enough
3:43:17to properly express herself. What Remy
3:43:20didn't realize was that the only books
3:43:21she had been reading were spell books
3:43:23and other arcane toms related to skills
3:43:25and history, so none of them were
3:43:27written in the much easier modern common
3:43:29language. Their relaxing evening was
3:43:31shattered by the sudden thumping of the
3:43:33artillery, which had been silent all day
3:43:35with no targets in range. Then the
3:43:38attack alarm blared and Morgana turned
3:43:41to the line prepared to bring Remy back
3:43:43to Carl so they wouldn't be short-handed
3:43:45for the battle. Not that they would be
3:43:47far apart as Morgana was stationed with
3:43:50him for battles, but Carl could give his
3:43:52beasts orders to work together. So she
3:43:54assumed he would want them all back.
3:43:56Remy was getting excited about the
3:43:58battle as she would get to try out her
3:44:00new skill and her commander rank attack
3:44:02powers for the first time. Everyone had
3:44:05been excited when she made it rain for
3:44:06the pool. So they would definitely be
3:44:08excited when she made a full
3:44:10thunderstorm for the battle. But she
3:44:12couldn't see the giants,
3:44:14not even with her head extended up above
3:44:16Morgana's.
3:44:18I don't know where they are either, but
3:44:19they should be coming. Morgana assured
3:44:22her, mistaking her excitement to show
3:44:24off for eager anticipation of the battle
3:44:26itself. Morgana also had no way to know
3:44:30that the wave of disappointment that
3:44:31followed was because Hawk had reported
3:44:33that the hill giants weren't coming to
3:44:35this end of the line, but moving past
3:44:37them to attack the artillery and the
3:44:38group beyond the students. They had
3:44:41gotten close enough to make it look like
3:44:42an attack, but they hadn't slowed their
3:44:45movement, and they were already past
3:44:46this flank. She's sad that she won't get
3:44:49to show you how cool her new
3:44:51thunderstorm ability can be. The giants
3:44:54were only passing by this end of the
3:44:56line and they're going for the artillery
3:44:57and the far flank. Carl explained as
3:45:00Morgana comforted the dejected spirit
3:45:02snake. That's the worst kind of
3:45:05disappointment.
3:45:07She was so excited to show me the skill
3:45:09and now there is nothing to cast it on.
3:45:12Morgana agreed. But they didn't stop
3:45:15their advance to attack the artillery
3:45:17either. They circled around searching
3:45:19for something. They didn't get closer
3:45:22than artillery range and didn't come
3:45:23into sight of the line. So, if it wasn't
3:45:26for Hawk scouting, Carl would have
3:45:27thought that this was a false alarm as
3:45:29many of the others did. It didn't take
3:45:32long before the other students
3:45:34remembered that Carl had a scout in the
3:45:35sky who should be watching the action
3:45:37while dodging artillery shells. How long
3:45:40until they arrive? One of the warriors
3:45:43asked. That's a fine question. They
3:45:46passed across the line as if they were
3:45:48coming for an attack. Then they doubled
3:45:50back looking for something. I have no
3:45:54idea what they're up to now, Carl
3:45:56explained.
3:45:58Do you think that they can sense
3:45:59something that we can't? The warrior on
3:46:02Carl's left asked. Most likely. But
3:46:06normally, my beasts would sense it as
3:46:08well, and they haven't noticed anything
3:46:10out of the usual in the area. If there
3:46:12was some hidden treasure, we should have
3:46:14picked up some trace of it by now.
3:46:17Treasure? Hawk asked as he soared above
3:46:20the giants. He didn't sense any
3:46:22treasure, though. He was pretty good at
3:46:25it, but there wasn't anything to find.
3:46:28The hill giants didn't even leave their
3:46:30dead behind, so there were no loot
3:46:32filled corpses, either. The hill giants
3:46:34appeared to making a crude grid pattern
3:46:36as they moved back and forth across the
3:46:38territory at the edge of the artillery
3:46:40bombardment.
3:46:42They were definitely searching, but
3:46:44neither Carl nor Hawk could determine
3:46:45for what, and nobody else had any clue,
3:46:48even after he tried to explain. Then the
3:46:51guns fell silent as the hill giants
3:46:53retreated out of range. "Hawk, scout a
3:46:57little longer and see if there was
3:46:58anything hiding underground while they
3:47:00were here. Maybe it's a hidden ruin like
3:47:03the dwarven village. If it's like that,
3:47:06there won't be any mice." Hawk reminded
3:47:09him. Carl's smile let everyone know he
3:47:12was talking to Hawk as he replied. Not
3:47:15everyone is as good at pest control as
3:47:17the dwarves. There might be mice. The
3:47:21search proved fruitless both for Hawk
3:47:23and the hill giants as they returned
3:47:25every day for the next week, stopping
3:47:27before they could get in range of the
3:47:28artillery and searching different
3:47:30sections of the line every day. One day
3:47:34while sitting on the line watching the
3:47:36empty horizon, Tessa looked down at Carl
3:47:38from her spot on Thor's back. Do you
3:47:41think that it's actually possible to
3:47:42interrogate a hill giant? I really want
3:47:45to know what in the world they've been
3:47:47looking for this past week. There has
3:47:49hardly even been an attack. They're so
3:47:51busy looking for whatever they're
3:47:53looking for, she asked. The teacher
3:47:57closest to them burst into laughter.
3:48:00Well, they are capable of speaking human
3:48:02common, but the odds of getting them to
3:48:04talk are pretty low. Hill giants don't
3:48:07feel pain the same way a human does, so
3:48:09you can't really torture them for
3:48:10information, even if you have a way to
3:48:12restrain them, Carl side. Well, that is
3:48:16unfortunate.
3:48:18I really do want to know what is driving
3:48:20them to search this whole area like
3:48:22that. But if they're doing it just to
3:48:24troll us and drive us insane, I'm not
3:48:26certain that I could take the truth.
3:48:28Tessa chuckled. I don't think that hill
3:48:31giants would do that, but I can
3:48:33definitely see you doing it just to mess
3:48:35with them. She had a point. They could
3:48:38all see Carl doing it if he got bored
3:48:40and the nature priests would help him.
3:48:43It was two more days of waiting before
3:48:45they would find out what the hill giants
3:48:47had actually been up to. Carl was
3:48:49sitting in a history lesson with Morgana
3:48:51when the attack alarm blared along with
3:48:53a secondary tone that indicated this was
3:48:55an urgent incoming attack. If they had
3:48:58failed to detect it at the usual
3:49:00distance, that would be extremely odd,
3:49:02given that they hadn't been distracted
3:49:04by anything, so that more likely meant
3:49:06that they were already charging and
3:49:08would be here sooner than anticipated.
3:49:10Carl switched from his more comfortable
3:49:12uniform suit to his armor as he rose
3:49:14from his chair, and the mages in the
3:49:16class began to scatter to their various
3:49:18assigned locations.
3:49:20Carl let Hawk loose as soon as they were
3:49:22out of the classroom, and immediately,
3:49:24excited chatter filled his mind. It's a
3:49:27buffet. A mobile buffet coming our way.
3:49:31There are huge mice and angry Thors and
3:49:34meat with horns and even pigs. Angry
3:49:37Thor. There are lightning sparrow in the
3:49:40stampede. Carl asked. "No, scaly, but on
3:49:45two legs and angry. They keep attacking
3:49:47things that get near them." When Carl
3:49:50arrived at his spot on the flank, the
3:49:52true terror of the advance became clear.
3:49:55The hill giants pretending to search the
3:49:57area yesterday had dropped bait bags all
3:49:59over the place, and the monsters were
3:50:01racing from one to another, trying to
3:50:03get to them. But once they were close
3:50:05enough, they would smell the humans, and
3:50:08that would be the final bait bag of the
3:50:10lure that had caused the monsters to
3:50:11stampede.
3:50:13How they had managed to wrangle so many
3:50:15into one place was a mystery, but it
3:50:17most likely involved a lot of work,
3:50:19given how few giants they had seen
3:50:21recently. There were thousands of
3:50:23monsters, perhaps tens of thousands.
3:50:27As far as Hawk could see, there were
3:50:29monsters on the horizon charging toward
3:50:31the human lines. It wouldn't just be the
3:50:34academy portion that was hit today, but
3:50:36everyone within 50 km of them. Compared
3:50:39to this influx, every one of the
3:50:41previous attacks looked like child's
3:50:43play. But worse than that, once they
3:50:46were done with the monsters and
3:50:47exhausted, they were very likely to see
3:50:49a full offensive from the hill giants.
3:50:52Got it. I will be on Morgana.
3:50:56She brings snacks to battle. The
3:50:58artillery core was firing furiously,
3:51:01taking out many of the weaker monsters
3:51:03and inadvertently creating more bait to
3:51:05draw the monsters forward. But Hawk had
3:51:08more bad news for them. There was an
3:51:11enormous swarm of flying monsters at the
3:51:13back of the ground-based influx, picking
3:51:15off the weaker ones. They were enraged
3:51:18as well and acting much more
3:51:20aggressively than Hawk thought should be
3:51:22natural. Morgana, tell them to make sure
3:51:25they save ammunition for the
3:51:26anti-aircraft guns. There is a massive
3:51:29swarm of flying monsters at the back of
3:51:31the stampede.
3:51:33Carl whispered as they took their
3:51:34positions.
3:51:36All of the teachers had radios with them
3:51:38and served as the unit leaders as they
3:51:40were stationed with an earshot of each
3:51:42other along the line for an attack like
3:51:44this. She nodded silently before sending
3:51:47her message and Carl considered what
3:51:49sort of tactic might be effective
3:51:51against this sort of enemy. Remy, time
3:51:54to try your new skills. Can you cast it
3:51:57all the way back where the monsters are?
3:51:59Carl asked. Remy exited her space and
3:52:03crawled up Tessa, who had the best view
3:52:05from the back of Thor. Maybe I'll make
3:52:09it big and far. The storm cloud began to
3:52:12grow. And the first few bolts of
3:52:14lightning hit the ground as the rain
3:52:16fell on the leading edge of the
3:52:17monsters.
3:52:19Perfect. We want them all to have to run
3:52:21through it. So, if you can keep it there
3:52:22the whole fight, as wide as you can,
3:52:25that is all you need to do, Carl
3:52:27instructed.
3:52:29Got it. I will be on Morgana.
3:52:32She brings snacks to battle. Hulk was
3:52:35definitely a bad influence on the no
3:52:37longer small snake, but she would soon
3:52:40realize that tiny pocket snacks were not
3:52:42enough to sate the hunger of a grown
3:52:44spirit snake, and the appeal would
3:52:46likely be lost. But Morgana was prepared
3:52:49for Remy's arrival, and she had her
3:52:51staff already planted in the dirt, ready
3:52:53for Remy to crawl up so she could get an
3:52:55even better view and not put all her
3:52:57weight on the witch doctor for the
3:52:59battle.
3:53:00The monsters were getting close now,
3:53:02past the point where the giants had
3:53:04placed bait, and they had noticed the
3:53:05massive number of humans who could sate
3:53:07their magically stimulated appetites.
3:53:10They were ravenous from the bait bags
3:53:12and enraged.
3:53:14The perfect combination for overcoming
3:53:16their common sense and getting them to
3:53:18charge at the elites. Pikes up, brace
3:53:21for impact, the section commander
3:53:24ordered. The warriors brought up their
3:53:27pikes and Thor brought up his barrier
3:53:29over his team, including Morgana and the
3:53:31group under Colonel Wilks, who were his
3:53:33team by default, as they were right next
3:53:35to him and attached to the same unit.
3:53:38The larger beasts were closer, as the
3:53:40smaller carnivores had chosen to stay
3:53:42behind the hyperaggressive giant lizards
3:53:44and beasts, who naturally treated them
3:53:47as food. Tessa activated the holy
3:53:49blessing on the pikes in time with the
3:53:52other battle clerics along the line. The
3:53:54metal heads glowed with golden light,
3:53:56prepared to cut through the thick hides
3:53:58of the attackers, but the monsters
3:54:00didn't care. Ranged attackers begin.
3:54:04Carl raised his bow and fired, chain
3:54:07lightning, into the front ranks. The
3:54:10lightning arked between the attackers,
3:54:12and dozens of the smaller beasts went up
3:54:14in flames as the commander rank ability
3:54:16hit their awakened rank bodies. The hill
3:54:19giants didn't care what they sent this
3:54:20way. They just hearded everything. So
3:54:23there were many strong beasts, but also
3:54:25a horde of weaker ones that would slowly
3:54:27wear down the more powerful defenders
3:54:28once they reached the human lines. The
3:54:31first wave of attackers fell easily to
3:54:33the combined attacks of the defenders,
3:54:35and most of the weaker beasts were
3:54:37already severely injured from Remy's
3:54:39thunderstorm. The damage from the rain
3:54:42wasn't extreme, but it was a commander
3:54:44rank skill, and against awakened rank
3:54:46monsters, even half a minute of exposure
3:54:48was enough to nearly them. Then
3:54:51they had to pass through the area
3:54:53attacks of the other mages, many of whom
3:54:55had the same idea that Remy did, and
3:54:57spread their attacks over the largest
3:54:59possible area so that they injured
3:55:00everything before it made it to the
3:55:02line. The air in the distance crackled
3:55:05with lightning, fire swirled along the
3:55:07ground, and razor sharp gusts of
3:55:09compressed winds tore through fur and
3:55:11scales. Thor bugled his challenge to the
3:55:14closest of the giant lizards, who raised
3:55:16his head to chomp down on the Sarah's
3:55:18back. But that was where Tessa was
3:55:20sitting. And as Thor charged forward,
3:55:23she brought up her spear and stabbed
3:55:24upward through the roof of the beast's
3:55:26mouth to impale its brain and send holy
3:55:28light bursting out of its skull. The
3:55:31enormous predator fell, and Thor crushed
3:55:33the ribs of another with his armored
3:55:35tail while Tessa lashed out with her
3:55:36spear, and the pike line pushed the
3:55:38other attackers away from them. Carl
3:55:41continued to fire, switching to flaming
3:55:44body for more effect on the commander
3:55:46rank beasts who were starting to pile up
3:55:48against the spears running over the
3:55:50bodies of the fallen first ranks. The
3:55:53mages put up solid barriers, halting the
3:55:55advance of the monsters for a split
3:55:57second before the warriors charged
3:55:59through again. The goal was to keep
3:56:01moving forward so that the bodies didn't
3:56:03stack up and give the monsters the
3:56:05chance to jump the defenders.
3:56:07Retreating would do the same thing, but
3:56:09that would eventually lead them back to
3:56:11camp, so it wasn't really an option in a
3:56:13battle this large. Carl remained a few
3:56:16steps behind the pike wall as they moved
3:56:18forward, pushing the beasts back so that
3:56:20he could continue to fire arrows toward
3:56:22the thicker clusters of strong beasts.
3:56:25Unlike the hill giants, most of these
3:56:27beasts didn't have any defensive magic.
3:56:29So, the ongoing attack spells were
3:56:31devastating to them, especially in their
3:56:33enraged and starved state where they
3:56:35were stopping inside the attack zone to
3:56:37feast on the bodies of the fallen. But
3:56:39Carl knew this fortunate state wouldn't
3:56:41last forever. The mages were burning a
3:56:44lot of mana to keep the area spells up,
3:56:46and once they started to get tired,
3:56:48things would become much more difficult.
3:56:51Remy left her place with Morgana when
3:56:53the witch doctor didn't understand that
3:56:55the refreshing spells were moving
3:56:56forward with the offense team. It didn't
3:56:59take the mages long to understand that
3:57:01the warriors had gotten priority for the
3:57:02stamina spells from the clerics, as they
3:57:05were the ones in immediate danger if
3:57:06someone faltered due to exhaustion. That
3:57:09led to the whole line pushing forward,
3:57:11holding their positions, while Remy
3:57:13slithered along at Carl's side, doing
3:57:15nothing but keeping her Thunderstorm
3:57:18active. Only when the monster density
3:57:20began to increase again did she start
3:57:22creating her totems on top of Morgana's
3:57:25staff. They were now designed to look
3:57:27like two Lameia backto back instead of
3:57:30just one, and the firing rate had
3:57:32doubled. While the totems themselves
3:57:33were lasting closer to 2 minutes than
3:57:35their original 90 seconds, the poison
3:57:38was slower acting, but the fireballs had
3:57:41an immediate effect on everything that
3:57:42they hit, and their flank of the line
3:57:44was holding strong, even as the others
3:57:46were calling up reinforcements from the
3:57:48army. They weren't elites, but there
3:57:51were more than enough clerics here to
3:57:52give them blessings and send them into
3:57:54combat to reinforce the students, the
3:57:56same as they would do on any other
3:57:58battlefield.
3:57:59The academy had been trying to avoid it,
3:58:01but the pure weight of numbers was
3:58:03dragging down some sections of the line
3:58:05that didn't have as much area attack
3:58:07ability. "The strongest monsters are
3:58:09falling. front line, hold position and
3:58:13let them come to us. The section
3:58:15commander ordered, giving the students a
3:58:17bit of a chance to catch their breath
3:58:19between fights. Not that they were going
3:58:22to get completely out of combat, as the
3:58:24mag's reduction in mana meant that they
3:58:26had to cut the power of their spells
3:58:27back to the mana level that they could
3:58:29sustain in a longer time period, and
3:58:31that was bringing monsters to the front
3:58:32with less damage than at the start of
3:58:34the battle. The pikes were beginning to
3:58:37falter and the warriors in the front
3:58:38were being forced to change to shorter
3:58:40ranged weapons while the second rank
3:58:42used their pikes to keep the largest of
3:58:44the monsters from crushing them as they
3:58:46fought. That was Ray's cue to switch
3:58:48tactics.
3:58:50Now, instead of sending the spider
3:58:52golems after the most dangerous targets,
3:58:54while she spat silk to trap ones that
3:58:56looked like they would make good snacks,
3:58:58she had the spider golems switch to the
3:58:59mass clearance tactics that they had
3:59:01used in the last battle with the hill
3:59:03giants, just murdering as many small
3:59:05monsters as possible. The kill
3:59:08everything that moves tactic was working
3:59:10well for the spider golems, and the line
3:59:12was actually able to push back the
3:59:14monsters in a few spots, but there was
3:59:16much worse incoming. The smarter
3:59:19monsters hadn't been completely consumed
3:59:21by rage due to the spell that the hill
3:59:23giants had put on the area using the
3:59:24bait, and they had remained behind the
3:59:26area attack spells for as long as they
3:59:28could resist. But now they were coming
3:59:31forward, charging through the weakened
3:59:32mage spells, intent on tearing the
3:59:35humans apart and sating the magical
3:59:37hunger that was consuming their
3:59:38thoughts. They had resisted as long as
3:59:41they could, but now their reasoning had
3:59:43been overcome, and they were rampaging
3:59:45the same as the others. There was a
3:59:48large group of massive feline predators.
3:59:50And for a moment, Carl struggled to
3:59:52recall their names from the study books.
3:59:55Great golden lions. That was the name of
3:59:57the species, he realized.
4:00:00Then he realized that there was a much
4:00:02larger problem. Unlike the other
4:00:04monsters in the horde so far, this was a
4:00:06proper magical beast, and it had
4:00:08abilities beyond strengthening and melee
4:00:10attacks.
4:00:12The great golden lion could breathe
4:00:14fire. And if that pack made it to the
4:00:16front lines, things were going to get
4:00:17brutal for the defenders. The mag's
4:00:20barriers wouldn't hold up for long. And
4:00:22the holy light blessing that the clerics
4:00:24cast on the warriors wouldn't take many
4:00:26hits from the fiery breath. Morgana,
4:00:29those things breathe fire. I need to
4:00:32move forward to keep them away from the
4:00:33line. Carl shouted back to the witch
4:00:36doctor. take your 10-person team if you
4:00:39can even get ahead of the lines. We will
4:00:42do what we can to protect your back,
4:00:44Morgana replied. Colonel Wilks group
4:00:48wouldn't be too impressed by that
4:00:49answer, but the extra bodies would help,
4:00:51and when Thor charged, the monsters
4:00:53would spread to avoid being rammed. It
4:00:56was instinctive, and their enraged minds
4:00:59didn't understand battle tactics.
4:01:01Just follow the Sero. Everything else
4:01:04will back away from our fight when the
4:01:06flames start to fly. But those lions
4:01:09breathe fire and they will tear apart
4:01:11the warriors who don't have Thor's
4:01:12barrier on them. Carl explained as he
4:01:15prepared to push the group forward.
4:01:18Sheamus still looked terrified, but
4:01:20Tessa pulled him up on the back of Thor
4:01:22and the bard took out a small pan flute
4:01:24which he could play with one hand while
4:01:26he held a shield in the other. That was
4:01:29far better than he had been during the
4:01:30first battle he had seen on this front.
4:01:32And Carl was impressed with his bravery.
4:01:35It took a lot of courage to face that
4:01:37level of fear and to not only go forward
4:01:39of the line, but to do it on a serero
4:01:42with a war cleric. Of course, he might
4:01:45not have realized what he had
4:01:46volunteered for yet, so it could be
4:01:48excused if he panicked later, but Carl
4:01:50had a good feeling about him. Thor
4:01:53smashed the ground with his tail,
4:01:54sending an earthquake forward into the
4:01:57monsters, then charged behind it with
4:01:59Ray's golems protecting his flanks.
4:02:02They didn't have far to go, not far
4:02:04enough that he would lose the slower
4:02:05moving members of the squad. But the
4:02:07monsters parted around them when they
4:02:09saw that the Sero had a target in mind.
4:02:12Carl took up the back of the formation,
4:02:14preventing anything from coming up
4:02:16behind them as Thor parted the monsters
4:02:17in front of them. And the monsters
4:02:20didn't take long to close ranks behind
4:02:22them. But it was the weaker and more
4:02:24opportunistic ones that came first. You
4:02:27go forward, we will hold the back.
4:02:29Colonel Wilks instructed as he summoned
4:02:31his fire elementals to support Jimmy and
4:02:34Ali at the back of the team. Dana and
4:02:36Ray's golems were split between the
4:02:38sides of Thor. So, as long as the group
4:02:40stayed close, they only had to cover a
4:02:43small area with actual warriors, leaving
4:02:45Carl and Thor free to fight the great
4:02:47golden lions in front. The five beasts
4:02:50roared in unison, and a blast of flame
4:02:52washed over the group, causing everyone
4:02:54to glow in an odd combination of blue
4:02:56and gold as the barriers created by
4:02:58Tessa and Thor work together to prevent
4:03:00the damage from reaching the elites.
4:03:02"Give me a boost, big buddy," Carl
4:03:06instructed as he ran onto Thor's tail
4:03:08with his maul in his hand. Thor flipped
4:03:10his tail up, sending Carl flying over
4:03:13the heads of Tessa and Sheamus. The
4:03:15startled golden lions looked up in shock
4:03:18and sent a gout of flames toward Carl as
4:03:20he descended. The flames washed over
4:03:23flame body with no noticeable damage.
4:03:25Then the mall hit home, crushing a
4:03:27lion's skull and sending chain lightning
4:03:29out through the group. Tessa's spear
4:03:32flicked out above Carl's head, slashing
4:03:34the throat of another golden lion before
4:03:36it could recover. Hot golden blood
4:03:39flowed from the wound, setting the grass
4:03:41on fire as Carl switched to the
4:03:43two-handed blade for easier close
4:03:44quarters combat. The flaming breath came
4:03:47for him again as Carl sidest stepped,
4:03:49making use of his enhanced speed to pull
4:03:51the attack away from the rest of the
4:03:53group. That spreaded over the monsters
4:03:55on Thor's right flank, and the stench of
4:03:58burning fur filled the air. The golden
4:04:00lions didn't care. The other monsters
4:04:03were nothing but competition for food.
4:04:05And they had dared to try to eat the
4:04:06ones who had insulted the lions by
4:04:08fighting back. Claws raked down Carl's
4:04:11barrier as he parried another set with
4:04:13his blade and moved another step away
4:04:15from Thor. That was the perfect
4:04:17position. And while Carl was burning a
4:04:20lot of energy to keep his barrier up, he
4:04:22now had the closest of the golden lions
4:04:24facing away from the lightning sarrow.
4:04:26Two massive horns tossed the beast in
4:04:28the air, where it was helplessly impaled
4:04:30by Tessa's spear before being torn apart
4:04:33by multiple magic missiles and
4:04:35firebolts.
4:04:37That left only two more golden lions and
4:04:40a frightened horde of monsters who were
4:04:42now giving them as much space as
4:04:43possible. As Carl rolled to Thor's left
4:04:45flank and evaded another gout of fire
4:04:47breath, which burned even more of the
4:04:49unfortunate horde, they were forced too
4:04:52close to the battle by the press of
4:04:54bodies, and they were suffering as badly
4:04:56from the lions as they were from the
4:04:57humans. The great golden lions were
4:05:00forced to their hind legs as Oilia
4:05:02joined Carl with a furious roar. They
4:05:05were still larger than the raging
4:05:07werebear, but not by enough that they
4:05:09could discount her raw strength.
4:05:11Unfortunately for them, that opened
4:05:13their vulnerable bellies while they
4:05:14swatted away the Berserker's axes, and
4:05:17another one fell, gutted by Tessa's
4:05:19spear. That left only one surrounded by
4:05:22Carl and Oilia, fighting desperately for
4:05:25its life. Carl got a solid hit on one
4:05:28shoulder as the lion twisted out of the
4:05:30way and its leg suffered a grievous
4:05:32wound from the ax, but then it was gone,
4:05:34leaping off into the crowd of monsters
4:05:36on three legs and putting a halfozen
4:05:38bodies between it and the humans as it
4:05:40retreated. The monsters were just
4:05:43letting it run, but they were closing on
4:05:45Carl and the others now that the threat
4:05:46of flame breath was gone. Back up to the
4:05:50line, fighting retreat, Carl shouted to
4:05:53be heard over the den of the battle.
4:05:55They had done their jobs and the flame
4:05:57breathing commanders were out of
4:05:59commission, leaving only targets that
4:06:01the line could reasonably be expected to
4:06:03deal with. Thor and Carl both needed a
4:06:05breather as they had expended a lot of
4:06:07energy to keep refreshing lightning
4:06:10active, but the golems and fire
4:06:12elementals were happy to cover for them
4:06:13as they backed away. Carl swept the
4:06:16surrounding area with Ren, creating a
4:06:19wide path for their retreat. That got
4:06:22them back to the line in under 10
4:06:23seconds and gave the line a moment to
4:06:25regroup after they had passed by. Good
4:06:28work. Morgana congratulated them as they
4:06:31stopped between the warriors and the
4:06:33mages. Carl just nodded in reply as he
4:06:36focused on recovering energy and Remy
4:06:39crawled up the witch doctor to get to
4:06:40her favorite viewpoint on Morgana's
4:06:42staff and set up new totems. "Will the
4:06:45other lion be back?" Morgana asked while
4:06:48holding the radio microphone in her
4:06:50hand. ready to inform Battlefield
4:06:52command of the outcome. Not anytime
4:06:55soon. It has a broken leg and a mangled
4:06:58shoulder. I don't know how fast they
4:07:01heal, but it shouldn't be back today at
4:07:03the very least," Carl replied.
4:07:07Morgana sent their report, and the group
4:07:09spread back to their positions,
4:07:10returning to their duties against the
4:07:12rapidly diminishing wave of monsters.
4:07:15All that was left was the very worst of
4:07:17it. The wave of flying monsters that had
4:07:20followed the others to the battle.
4:07:22Fortunately, they had a plan. First, the
4:07:26thunderstorm to soak and electrocute the
4:07:28incoming birds. Then, Blizzard to freeze
4:07:32the water, and finally, they would have
4:07:35Thor hurl mixed tiny sand golems at them
4:07:37with his tail. That last bit was an
4:07:40impromptu addition by Thor himself.
4:07:43The other portions of the line would
4:07:44have to fend for themselves, but as long
4:07:47as refreshing lightning was active, Remy
4:07:50was sure she could keep the area spells
4:07:52active long enough to make a difference.
4:07:54The thunderstorm would be spread over
4:07:56the largest possible area, as it needed
4:07:58time to reach maximum effect, and then
4:08:01the blizzard would be a narrow final
4:08:02line. There were a few other area spells
4:08:05in their section, including Colonel
4:08:07Wilks flamestorm spell, but its casting
4:08:10range wasn't nearly as far as Rey's. Why
4:08:14he couldn't cast it as far away as she
4:08:16could use her area spells was a mystery,
4:08:18but the flamestorm spell naturally
4:08:20wanted to be centered on the caster and
4:08:21just moving it out into the monsters was
4:08:23an effort. While Remy only had to be
4:08:25able to clearly see and visualize her
4:08:27target, that was true for many of the
4:08:30mag's area spells. They were primarily
4:08:33defensive, and while they could create a
4:08:35gap large enough for their unit, the
4:08:37area spells were usually centered on
4:08:39them, not hurled hundreds of meters
4:08:41away. With the obvious exception of
4:08:43explosions, which had been a constant
4:08:45counterpart to the day's battle, the
4:08:48flock was chasing the last of the beasts
4:08:50forward, hurting them into the academy
4:08:52lines, right until they hit the rain,
4:08:54and found that it was seeping into their
4:08:56skin and tearing their feathers out.
4:08:58That was enough to make most of them
4:09:00turn around and give up on the battle,
4:09:02overcome by the pain and shaken free of
4:09:04the effects of the rage that they had
4:09:06been under. But the beasts on the ground
4:09:08were closer to the bait packs all the
4:09:10way in. And the effect was much
4:09:12stronger. They weren't turning back.
4:09:15They were intent on eliminating the
4:09:16humans and even more now that they were
4:09:19wounded. That works better than I
4:09:21thought it would. The damage is all
4:09:24right, but the deterrent effect is
4:09:25totally worth it. Remy noted as she
4:09:28watched the first of the rain soaked
4:09:30monsters reach the blizzard and get
4:09:32flash frozen. They were monsters and
4:09:35they could break the magical ice easily
4:09:37enough, but it was sharp and it cut into
4:09:40their flesh, making them bleed and
4:09:42slowing their movement. Then they were
4:09:44into the spells of the other mages and
4:09:46being cut down so fast that the warrior
4:09:48lines were only doing cleanup on the
4:09:50last few who struggled through in a
4:09:52desperate attempt to get some form of
4:09:53vengeance. But their incredibly
4:09:56effective defense only extended so far,
4:09:58and the sections of the line further
4:10:00down toward the artillery were still
4:10:02having issues. And even with the
4:10:04reinforcements from the regular army,
4:10:06they were in for a hard fight. The
4:10:08problem was that if they changed
4:10:10anything here, they would only move the
4:10:12problem back in their direction.
4:10:14The first group, the ones who had been
4:10:16ending their shift when the attack
4:10:18started, were rotated off the line to
4:10:20get some sleep, as the battle wasn't
4:10:22showing any signs of ending in the next
4:10:24few hours. But Carl's side of the line
4:10:26was at the point where you could call it
4:10:27under control. That let them all rest a
4:10:30little, as they were mostly using the
4:10:32largest scale attacks they could at
4:10:34greatly reduced power to deal with the
4:10:35stragglers of the monster attack on
4:10:37their flank. Remy had cut back the power
4:10:40on her spells to the point that the
4:10:42monsters were actually making it
4:10:43through, but only the ascended rank
4:10:45ones. That was low enough draw that she
4:10:48wouldn't burn herself out before it was
4:10:50time to nap. As long as she still had
4:10:52Thor and Lotus' help with their
4:10:54refreshing skills. Having such a large
4:10:56area spell is a blessing in battle. I
4:11:00think that thunderstorm is even larger
4:11:01than the blizzard she was using before.
4:11:04one of the warriors noted as he stepped
4:11:06back from the line, letting the second
4:11:08rank rotate forward. She's a commander
4:11:11now instead of ascended.
4:11:14So, the blizzard will have expanded as
4:11:16well, but her abilities definitely lean
4:11:18toward the disperse damage effects over
4:11:20exceptionally large areas. I see that
4:11:23there is a shaman further down the line
4:11:25using nearly the same spell, but we
4:11:27could have used several more of them.
4:11:29Carl replied, "Are there so few
4:11:32shamans?"
4:11:34one of the mages behind Carl asked.
4:11:36Morgana nodded and turned to the
4:11:38student. There are right now. There are
4:11:42only five at the academy, including the
4:11:44instructor. There are many more from
4:11:47previous years, but the last few haven't
4:11:49had many shamans among them. One of the
4:11:52mages chuckled. 80% of the student body
4:11:55is either a cleaveb base warrior or a
4:11:57wand marked wizard. It's like we got all
4:12:00the repeat draws the last few years.
4:12:03Mick the bald golem mage laughed. It's
4:12:07like gambling. You get a streak of
4:12:09nothing and then something big. Our year
4:12:12burned up all its luck with Carl and
4:12:14Dana. Mostly Carl. No offense to Dana,
4:12:19but she did start as a basic mage with
4:12:21exceptional talent. He got the broken
4:12:24overpowered super mark. Carl laughed as
4:12:27he sent a wave of rend through the
4:12:29wounded monsters.
4:12:31It's not that the mark is overpowered.
4:12:34It's the beasts. If I didn't have such a
4:12:37cool group of teammates, the mark would
4:12:39be nearly worthless.
4:12:41Carl informed him, making Thor stomp
4:12:43happily. Remy jabbed her head repeatedly
4:12:46toward the blizzard until one of the
4:12:48mages reached out to stroke her scales.
4:12:51You are doing a wonderful job, Remy.
4:12:54Every bit as impressive as Thor's
4:12:56shield, Hawk scouting, and Ray's golems
4:12:59wherever they went.
4:13:00Carl laughed and gestured into the
4:13:02distance with his next rend attack.
4:13:06They're over that way, hunting for
4:13:07things that are stronger than a wounded
4:13:09ascended ranked pig. The camp will be
4:13:12eating good for a while after this
4:13:13battle, and I'll be sure to pull a few
4:13:15extra beasts into my storage space so we
4:13:17can do another roast in case we run out
4:13:19of fresh goodness before the next event.
4:13:22He added, "What's the next event?" The
4:13:26mage petting Remy asked. Dana and Lotus
4:13:29both have birthdays coming up in the
4:13:31next couple of weeks, only a few days
4:13:33apart, so we were going to celebrate
4:13:35them together with another barbecue. It
4:13:38looks like we might not have to do much
4:13:39begging, though. There are hundreds of
4:13:42dead pigs out there, Carl noted. Are
4:13:46those safe to eat? Jimmy asked as he
4:13:49stood in the front row with a pike in
4:13:51his hands. The ones in the thunderstorm
4:13:53are. That's just lightning and water
4:13:56magic. They'll be fresh and clean when
4:13:59we go to gut them, even if they are a
4:14:01bit charred. I'm sure we can save at
4:14:03least a truckload of meat from our
4:14:05section of the battle. Morgana
4:14:07considered Carl's words. You have a good
4:14:10point. I will see if they have an
4:14:13insulated trailer nearby. If we can get
4:14:16them butchered and on ice, perhaps
4:14:18frozen with ice magic, we can have fresh
4:14:20meat instead of canned for months. The
4:14:23meal rations included canned pork, or as
4:14:27the elites called it, stuff posing as
4:14:29meat, but it was mediocre at best. Fried
4:14:32and slathered with mustard. It wasn't
4:14:34too bad, and a number of the students
4:14:36liked to eat it with eggs or drowned in
4:14:38a cream gravy. But Morgana was not a
4:14:41fan. One after another, the mages took
4:14:44turns petting and encouraging Remy, as
4:14:47it was her wide area spells that were
4:14:48making life so easy along this section.
4:14:51The range that she had with her magic
4:14:53was ridiculous compared to what most of
4:14:55the students could manage. And as a
4:14:57result, they were mostly just standing
4:14:59around waiting for something to make it
4:15:01through the blizzard so they could
4:15:02finish it off. But that was becoming
4:15:05increasingly rare, and the flying beasts
4:15:07had never come near their portion of the
4:15:09line, though they could surely have just
4:15:11flown over the spell effects. The
4:15:13thunderstorm clouds were only a few
4:15:15hundred meters in the air, and Hawk was
4:15:17flying over them constantly, looking for
4:15:19targets, stupid or brave enough to
4:15:21challenge his air superiority.
4:15:24The birds had mostly fled as soon as the
4:15:26thunderstorm went up, and the only
4:15:28powerful flying things were all the way
4:15:29down at the anti-aircraft guns, 10 km
4:15:32from their location. But there were some
4:15:35griffins among them and Hawk thought
4:15:37that might make a good companion as it
4:15:39could fly, use wind magic and walk on
4:15:42four legs. It was a versatile sort of
4:15:44monster and it didn't use water magic.
4:15:48That was why Hawk wasn't dive bombing
4:15:50the overgrown mice right now. The water
4:15:53magic wouldn't attack him, but he would
4:15:55get soaked with every pass, and that was
4:15:58simply unacceptable.
4:16:00They were about to rotate a second group
4:16:01off the line when the signal was given
4:16:03that the monsters had been defeated and
4:16:05a temporary standown order was in place.
4:16:08That meant that while they were relieved
4:16:10of the official need to fight, everyone
4:16:12should remain nearby and prepared to
4:16:14fight even if they weren't on shift. So
4:16:17Carl moved his group back as they were
4:16:19in the third group, which would go on
4:16:21shift in half an hour and lay down
4:16:23against Thor for a quick nap. There were
4:16:26still a few monsters coming their way,
4:16:28and Remy still had her thunderstorm up
4:16:30at further reduced capacity. But what
4:16:33made it past the storm was nothing that
4:16:34a small group of warriors and mages
4:16:36couldn't handle. The rest of the line
4:16:39was slowly managing to chase off the
4:16:41flying creatures, but Carl could sense
4:16:43the envious eyes cast in their
4:16:45direction. The Storm and Hawk were
4:16:47enough to chase off all of the flying
4:16:49monsters at their end of the line, so
4:16:51the right flank was just resting while
4:16:53everyone else finished the fight.
4:16:55Carl's team took over their shift right
4:16:57on schedule, but there wasn't anything
4:16:59to do with Hawk already clearing out the
4:17:01monsters from above once they left the
4:17:02storm. The smart ones had already died
4:17:05or run away. So now it was mostly just
4:17:08the slower moving rodents and scavengers
4:17:10who didn't have the brain power to
4:17:11realize that it was the water causing
4:17:13them damage. So many dumb mice. They
4:17:17just keep running back into the rain.
4:17:20Hawk complained, unwilling to chase them
4:17:22into the storm. You have a fire barrier,
4:17:25you won't really get wet. Thor reminded
4:17:28him, "Not the point." Despite his
4:17:32complaints, Carl could tell that the
4:17:33hawk was actually having fun, circling
4:17:36around the edge of the storm and chasing
4:17:37the rodents back into their deaths. Once
4:17:40the storm ended, they would all be
4:17:42freshly washed and ready for him to
4:17:44collect. So, it was better that they
4:17:46stopped in the rain than running out
4:17:47through the mud. After another hour,
4:17:50even that had stopped. There was nothing
4:17:53coming out of the storm anymore and only
4:17:55a few stragglers were still being found
4:17:57by the rest of the defensive line. That
4:18:00was when Carl fully expected the hill
4:18:02giants to attack and thanked his luck
4:18:04that he was on shift for it. Remy
4:18:06dropped the storm so that Hawk could
4:18:08clean up the beasts that he wanted and
4:18:10the academy started to send teams
4:18:12forward to gather beasts to be butchered
4:18:14for the kitchens. Do they have a trailer
4:18:16for the meat? Carl asked Morgana as he
4:18:19watched the recovery teams work.
4:18:22They will in an hour. It's on its way
4:18:25here now. Well, more than one. They're
4:18:29assigning teams everywhere that got hit
4:18:30with beasts today to gather meat to help
4:18:33reduce the load on the supply convoys.
4:18:36The less that they have to send to us,
4:18:38the better. We have also taken low
4:18:40casualties lately, so the clerics have
4:18:42been going all out with the rice and
4:18:44beans, which cuts down on the
4:18:46requirement for shelf stable rations
4:18:48even further. I know it's a bit dull for
4:18:50most of the elites, but it's free and
4:18:52plentiful, so the supply staff loves it.
4:18:56Carl chuckled at Morgana's description.
4:18:59It's actually better than a lot of the
4:19:00things that they serve in the cafeteria.
4:19:03I've grown quite fond of the rice and
4:19:05beans base for dinners with the nature
4:19:07priest grown fruits and vegetables, plus
4:19:09monster meat. We eat better in the field
4:19:12than we do in camp. Morgana sideighed.
4:19:16Well, hopefully this conflict will be
4:19:18sorted sooner than expected. The frost
4:19:21giants are already in bad shape, and
4:19:23with one border only needing minimal
4:19:25forces, the army has managed to transfer
4:19:27more to the other lines. Carl shrugged.
4:19:31It doesn't look like the hill giants are
4:19:33going to give up so soon. But you never
4:19:36know what they are actually thinking. It
4:19:38could all be over tomorrow, but it could
4:19:40run until one side completely collapses.
4:19:44I don't pretend to understand what the
4:19:46giants were thinking with this invasion.
4:19:48The witch doctor nodded. There has to be
4:19:51some reason for the giants to start
4:19:53working together. They hate each other,
4:19:56but they're all forming a coordinated
4:19:57offensive against us when they don't
4:19:59even want the territory.
4:20:02So, it has to be about something else
4:20:04and nobody really knows what. But should
4:20:07we really be worrying about that right
4:20:09now? Why not? It's not like I've got
4:20:12anything else to do. Unless they're
4:20:15going to let me take a team to go scout
4:20:17behind the lines, all we can do is
4:20:19gossip and speculate while we sit here.
4:20:22Carl reminded her. Dana laughed and
4:20:24poked him in the side. You're as bad as
4:20:27an old woman looking for gossip.
4:20:30Inquiring minds need to know. Tessa
4:20:33looked over at them from on top of
4:20:35Thor's head. Yeah, if we don't get to do
4:20:38fun stuff, at least give us something to
4:20:40think about.
4:20:41Like, do you think that unique scent
4:20:43that hill giants have is natural? Or is
4:20:45it some sort of soap? They kind of smell
4:20:48like dirt and plants, not sweaty like
4:20:50ogres or goblins, so I've been
4:20:52wondering. That was an excellent
4:20:55question. Everyone quietly pondered it
4:20:58for a while, and even Hawk began to
4:21:00wonder. None of them had never found
4:21:02signs of soap in their belongings, but
4:21:04they all smelled the same, so it was
4:21:06possible that it could go either way.
4:21:09Hawk had a small mountain of corpses in
4:21:11his space now. And then a large mountain
4:21:13built off to one side. What's with the
4:21:16segregated piles?
4:21:18Carl asked as he inspected the rapidly
4:21:20filling space. This is the really good
4:21:23stuff I want to keep, and that is the
4:21:25good enough to eat stuff that I'm
4:21:26willing to part with. We can put it in
4:21:29the Morgana's trailer once it arrives.
4:21:32Carl laughed at how Hawk still didn't
4:21:34get the concept of names. He treated
4:21:37everyone as a separate species.
4:21:39So it was the Dana mage, the Morgana,
4:21:42and so on. Ry got names a bit better,
4:21:45but it was hit or miss who she
4:21:47considered worthy of a name. What's the
4:21:49good word? Dana asked once Carl was
4:21:52paying full attention to his
4:21:54surroundings again. Hawk has separated
4:21:56the piles into things he likes to eat
4:21:59and things he thinks that humans will
4:22:00like to eat. So, he's got a massive pile
4:22:04of beasts in stasis, waiting for the
4:22:06personnel to be available to butcher
4:22:08them after the trailer arrives.
4:22:10But looking at it, we might need more
4:22:12trailers. There is a mountain of beasts
4:22:15in there, and that's just the good
4:22:17tasting ones. Carl explained, Dana
4:22:21laughed. That sounds like Hawk. Let me
4:22:25guess, there are no pigs in the pile for
4:22:27the humans. Carl looked at the pile and
4:22:30found a few of them that have been
4:22:31scorched and damaged in the mountain of
4:22:33donations.
4:22:34I wouldn't say that there are none, but
4:22:36none of the ones that died cleanly are
4:22:38in that pile. He's got years worth of
4:22:41food in the other pile, though, so once
4:22:43we start running low, I will have him
4:22:45start sorting it out. He's not going to
4:22:48need most of that once he makes it to
4:22:49royal rank, so he will be able to part
4:22:52with the vast majority, Carl explained.
4:22:56Morgana gave Carl a curious look.
4:22:59Sometimes I wonder just what all you
4:23:01have hidden in those spaces. You've
4:23:03pulled out all sorts of natural
4:23:05resources so far and some truly rare
4:23:07ones as well. So what all can go in
4:23:10those spaces?
4:23:12Carl shrugged. Anything the beasts see
4:23:15as a resource.
4:23:17So food, shiny objects, broken magical
4:23:20weapons, but not intact ones. However,
4:23:23they can take gems, plants, and those
4:23:26sorts of things.
4:23:28So, the stones and feathers in your fort
4:23:30are all things that someone thought
4:23:32would be useful. Morgana asked. They
4:23:36were on bodies that Ry collected. She
4:23:38likes using them as decorations, but she
4:23:41will take them with her when we leave.
4:23:43The silk is free. Her treasures are not,
4:23:47Carl explained.
4:23:49Morgana nodded. And some of those stones
4:23:52are actually valuable magical resources.
4:23:55They're just not useful to any of your
4:23:57beasts. If we could convince her to part
4:24:00with a few of them, we might actually be
4:24:02able to make some new resources for
4:24:04specific warriors.
4:24:06Ry gave Morgana a curious look that
4:24:08would have made most people recoil in
4:24:10fright. But Morgana just smiled. If you
4:24:13have a few more of those glowing orange
4:24:15stones with the yellow streaks in them,
4:24:17and the perpetually cold bones that
4:24:18aren't giant bones, we could use both of
4:24:21them to make fire and ice potions for
4:24:23the church guards and regular soldiers.
4:24:25It makes them more attuned to holy
4:24:27magic, but for some reason, it doesn't
4:24:29work on the clerics who can actually use
4:24:31holy magic. The witch doctor explained,
4:24:35"Ask her how much she needs. They're
4:24:38kind of bright, so I buried them in a
4:24:40hole." Rey replied.
4:24:43She is wondering how many you need. She
4:24:46has a few tucked away. Morgana
4:24:49considered that for a few seconds,
4:24:51counting on her fingers as she looked
4:24:52out at the infantry units as far as the
4:24:54eye could see. To cover all of the
4:24:57soldiers here for the next 3 months
4:24:59before the potion wears off, we would
4:25:01need at least 20 of the stones and a
4:25:03kilo of ice element monster bones that
4:25:05aren't frost giants, she decided.
4:25:09Ry pulled the cover off her pit full of
4:25:11glowing rocks and began to sort out the
4:25:13ones that Morgana wanted. They were
4:25:15incredibly common in frost giant
4:25:17jewelry, and every commander rank
4:25:19warrior usually had at least 10 of them
4:25:21woven into their accessories.
4:25:23So, she had quite the pit full of them,
4:25:26but she still carefully counted 20 of
4:25:28them before weighing the bones. Carl
4:25:31wasn't certain how accurate her guess of
4:25:32the weight was. But when she was ready,
4:25:35she retreated from her space to rest by
4:25:37Thor and left Carl to pass the loot
4:25:39over. "This should do it." "This is what
4:25:42Rey found for you," Carl explained.
4:25:46She had moved a large wooden shield over
4:25:48the pit again and covered it with stones
4:25:50that didn't shine, so the glow didn't
4:25:52mess with the ambiencece of her space,
4:25:54which was nearly dark, with a few
4:25:56glowing blue stones strung up high to
4:25:58imitate stars in the sky.
4:26:00Morgana took the large pile of materials
4:26:02from Carl into a spare bag and happily
4:26:05patted Rey on her leg, being careful to
4:26:07touch only the side and not risk her
4:26:09fingers on the sharp edges. Thank you,
4:26:12Rey. It will take me all night to make
4:26:15enough potions, but the whole army will
4:26:18benefit from this. That was all the
4:26:20thanks that Rey needed. Someone needed
4:26:23her shiny loot, and that meant that they
4:26:25all owed her a favor. The witch doctor
4:26:28ran off from the lines and sent another
4:26:30teacher over to fill her space, leaving
4:26:32the newly arrived staff member
4:26:34thoroughly confused.
4:26:36There is a latrine right over there.
4:26:38Where is she going? He asked as he took
4:26:40Morgana's spot next to Carl's group. We
4:26:43got her some loot to make holy magic
4:26:45atunement potions for the army. It
4:26:48should last them for 90 days, so she's
4:26:50in a hurry to get it made and
4:26:51distributed. Carl explained. You found
4:26:55the orange sunstones.
4:26:57That is excellent news. I will gladly
4:27:00take the extra shifts if she can get
4:27:02those potions made. I didn't even know
4:27:05that we had someone here who knew how to
4:27:07make the potions. They're a pretty
4:27:09obscure recipe, and the materials only
4:27:12come from the Frost Giant Nation. Ah,
4:27:15you all were stationed there, weren't
4:27:17you? He realized.
4:27:20Carl nodded.
4:27:22Not those four, but the other six of us
4:27:24in this team were. The teacher pulled a
4:27:27spear from his inventory and stabbed the
4:27:29blunt end into the dirt so he could lean
4:27:31against it. Well, there are always
4:27:33advantages to having veterans on the
4:27:35line with the students. I know most of
4:27:38you are still students, but the
4:27:39difference in experience has been far
4:27:41too obvious since we got here. If I had
4:27:44to say, sending students out more would
4:27:46actually be better for their
4:27:48development. The gains that everyone has
4:27:50made since they got here have been
4:27:52incredible. It feels like we're about to
4:27:55have another commander in our ranks as
4:27:56well, possibly too. He was looking at
4:28:00Dana and Oilia, who were both a bit
4:28:02nervous at his gaze. The status
4:28:05difference for commander rank would be
4:28:07huge, but they didn't think that they
4:28:08were there yet. They weren't close to
4:28:11Carl's power or even any of his beasts,
4:28:14except maybe Remy. But none of them had
4:28:17really considered the fact that Remy had
4:28:18advanced to commander already, and they
4:28:20were still at least equal to her in
4:28:22maximum power. Most of the issue was
4:28:25just that Thor and Ry were throwing off
4:28:27the perception of what a commander rank
4:28:29beast meant. Thor's refreshing lightning
4:28:32was such a versatile skill that it made
4:28:34him seem much more powerful than he was.
4:28:36And Ry had her royal rank golems, which
4:28:39just tore through everything that they
4:28:40touched. "They're coming." Hawk informed
4:28:44Carl after another half hour of
4:28:46patiently waiting for something to
4:28:47happen. We've got incoming. Hawk is in
4:28:51the air scouting. He says there are more
4:28:54threats coming. I will get more details
4:28:57in a second. Carl relayed about five big
4:29:02teams coming our way then about the same
4:29:04for everyone else. Maybe a hundred big
4:29:07teams. Hawk guessed. A big team was 10.
4:29:11So, there were about a thousand hill
4:29:13giants coming for them. Hawk says,
4:29:15"We've got a hundred coming to our
4:29:17section, and there are about a thousand
4:29:19in total that he can see," Carl relayed.
4:29:23The teacher grabbed his radio and passed
4:29:25the message to the other units, which
4:29:27didn't immediately get an attack alarm
4:29:28sounded as they were already on standby,
4:29:31but the artillery started only a minute
4:29:33later when they got positive
4:29:34confirmation on the giant's positions.
4:29:37That was enough to inform everyone that
4:29:39their day wasn't over. But Carl didn't
4:29:41get up from his resting spot. Nor did
4:29:43Dana, who was leaned against his side,
4:29:46trying not to fall asleep as she
4:29:47meditated to regain her mana. The hill
4:29:50giants were already charging despite
4:29:52being over 10 km away. It wouldn't take
4:29:56them long to get to the human lines, but
4:29:58the attack alarm was still waiting for
4:30:00them to get in sight so that the
4:30:01students could get a bit more rest
4:30:03before they were scrambled into
4:30:04position. It was only after the giants
4:30:07were in sight and everyone was getting
4:30:08to their feet that the troops were sent
4:30:10back to the line, preparing to engage
4:30:12the rapidly incoming enemy lines. That
4:30:15barely gave them time to get half the
4:30:17mages in position before the hill giants
4:30:19bombardment began. But once they were in
4:30:22range, the hill giants didn't keep
4:30:24advancing. They stopped and used earth
4:30:27magic to create barriers in front of
4:30:28their lines so they could bombard the
4:30:30lines and remain out of sight to the
4:30:32direct attacks from the students.
4:30:34Golems were charging across no man's
4:30:36land now while being bombarded by
4:30:38boulders and sharp spikes of stone. But
4:30:41as fast as they were falling, they were
4:30:43being reformed to charge from the
4:30:45caster's maximum range again. Carl, can
4:30:48you have Thor hurl my sand golems again?
4:30:51That worked really well, and they have
4:30:53short legs. Mick asked happily. Ry, can
4:30:59you make a catapult basket for Thor's
4:31:01tail? Carl requested out loud. She made
4:31:05a quick mesh net and the first golem got
4:31:07inside while curled into a ball. Thor
4:31:10hurled the small golem which impacted
4:31:13with a boulder in the sky, sending both
4:31:15the stone and the remains of the golem
4:31:17to the ground. Next
4:31:20fire. Carl cheered as another golem
4:31:23loaded itself. This one flew right over
4:31:26the hill giant lines, but it could
4:31:28attack from behind, and Mick gave him a
4:31:30thumbs up, signaling that the Golem had
4:31:32survived its landing. One after another,
4:31:35they were hurled, with most of them
4:31:37dying in the process. In fact, it took
4:31:40so long to get them there alive that Ry
4:31:42had sent a second set of spider golems
4:31:45with Dana's stone golems on their backs
4:31:47to the line before Mick finally had all
4:31:49six alive on the line.
4:31:51Well, I can't say that it's more
4:31:53timeeffective as they can dodge the
4:31:55artillery if they're on foot, but it
4:31:57sure is more fun. Carl noted as Thor
4:32:00finished his work. You never know until
4:32:03you try, right? Mick laughed. Even
4:32:07though they had made it to the line
4:32:08after much effort, they didn't last
4:32:10long. And Mick sent the next group
4:32:12running across the battlefield with the
4:32:14other golems and the fire elementals
4:32:15from Colonel Wilks. If the giants
4:32:18weren't going to advance, this was going
4:32:20to be a very annoying fight. After half
4:32:23an hour of the stalemate with the mages
4:32:25and hill giants exchanging ranged
4:32:27attacks, it was becoming clear that this
4:32:29battle was not going to end anytime
4:32:31soon. And all that the hill giants
4:32:33needed was one section with mages who
4:32:35were less capable at ranged attacks to
4:32:37make a breach. "Professor, should we go
4:32:40cause a bit of chaos on the flank? It
4:32:42will get them moving before our mages
4:32:44get exhausted,
4:32:46Carl suggested.
4:32:48I seem to recall that you have done that
4:32:50here once before. How did that work out
4:32:52for you? The professor asked. Well
4:32:56enough. The target ran away before we
4:32:59made it to him, but we managed to clear
4:33:01out the majority of the commander rank
4:33:03threats on this flank, and it
4:33:04effectively ended the battle for the
4:33:06day. Carl replied with a shrug. I will
4:33:10run it by the battle leaders and see
4:33:12what they think. If your team really can
4:33:15break the stalemate or even get them
4:33:17motivated to move, it should be worth
4:33:19it. The warrior class professor agreed.
4:33:23It only took a few seconds before the
4:33:24answer came back to them. 10person
4:33:27volunteer strike forces are approved to
4:33:29charge the lines in 10 minutes. Last
4:33:32rights should be prepared before
4:33:34departure.
4:33:35Carl looked at the teacher in shock. It
4:33:38sounds like they're not as optimistic
4:33:40about this mission as I am. Carl paused
4:33:43a second before raising his voice. But
4:33:46with that in mind, I will need nine
4:33:48volunteers to go with me. Teams don't
4:33:51matter, but command says the odds are
4:33:53you're not coming back. It only took a
4:33:56second before Carl's whole team was
4:33:57standing beside him, followed by
4:33:59Morgana, Colonel Wilks, and Tank. But
4:34:02then the influx stopped. Everyone heard
4:34:05the radio message.
4:34:07This was likely to be the end of the
4:34:09line for the volunteers who went to
4:34:11break the balance and stop the hill
4:34:12giants from exhausting their mages
4:34:14before launching an assault. Carl was
4:34:17about to say something when two more men
4:34:19came jogging into the camp. Good. We
4:34:22made it on time. We didn't think that
4:34:25Carl would wait the whole 10 minutes
4:34:26before leaving with a team. Doug
4:34:29McKenzie's smile was contagious, though
4:34:31Bob's look was grim as he ran beside his
4:34:33brother. Well, that makes 10. Time to
4:34:37go, ladies and gentlemen. Let's show the
4:34:41hill giants how it's done, Carl
4:34:43announced. The slower moving team
4:34:46members loaded themselves on Thor, Ray,
4:34:48and the spider golems while the others
4:34:50moved to the front of the line. The
4:34:53section commander called after them, but
4:34:56it hasn't been 10 minutes. Doug gave him
4:34:59a thumbs up. clearly tell the others to
4:35:03wait an extra two just to throw off the
4:35:05hill giants. Nobody expects a 12-minute
4:35:08timer. The teacher didn't know what to
4:35:11say as the group charged at the hill
4:35:13giants. He just motion for the mages to
4:35:15keep a barrier over them for as long as
4:35:17they could to save the group a bit of
4:35:18energy on the way in. Are we really
4:35:21going to lose a high cleric and so many
4:35:23commanders just like that? One of the
4:35:26students asked though the others weren't
4:35:28as wellknown. Tank was a beloved figure
4:35:31at the school despite his insistence
4:35:33that he was only a part-time teacher.
4:35:36Mick gave his classmates a sad smile.
4:35:39Don't underestimate them. They're all
4:35:41bats hit crazy, but every person in that
4:35:44group is a monster in combat. Just watch
4:35:47what happens when they get close. It's
4:35:49going to be an enlightening experience
4:35:50for us all. The other students looked at
4:35:53him like he was crazy. The last thing
4:35:56they wanted was to watch what happened
4:35:58when that group reached the hill giant's
4:36:00defensive fortification.
4:36:02As they ran, Carl moved to the front and
4:36:04took out his mall. Thor would be right
4:36:07behind him. So, as long as the mall
4:36:09shattered the stone, they were good to
4:36:10go. When he was two steps from the wall,
4:36:14the spider golems vanished, leaving
4:36:16their riders in the dirt. While Lotus
4:36:18and Dana hopped down from Thor's back,
4:36:21Carl's hammer smashed into the wall, and
4:36:23the stone exploded. as the effects of
4:36:25shatter sent a shock wave through the
4:36:27construct, breaking a 5 m section of the
4:36:30barrier into small pieces. Then the
4:36:33reummoned spider golems were flying over
4:36:35his head at the hill giants while Carl
4:36:37aimed at the knees, intending to
4:36:39the nearest targets to establish a beach
4:36:41head. But the majority of the giants in
4:36:44the area were ascended, and the golems
4:36:46were tearing them apart, even before
4:36:48Thor and Tessa made it through the wall
4:36:49with a shock wave of earthquake that
4:36:52split around Carl and knocked a dozen
4:36:54giants from their feet. Oilia and Bob
4:36:57went right with Morgana and Remy behind
4:36:59them. A massive thunderstorm was forming
4:37:03over the area, punctuated by streaks of
4:37:05lightning and fireballs as Hawk
4:37:07attacked, surrounded in his often
4:37:09neglected wind barrier to keep his
4:37:11feathers dry. Remy was placing totems on
4:37:14the wall to attack the giants from above
4:37:16and spitting chain lightning into the
4:37:19crowd as she slithered along beside the
4:37:21witch doctor, who was surrounded in a
4:37:23dark cloud of magic that sent beams into
4:37:25the hill giants which seemed to corrupt
4:37:26and rot their flesh.
4:37:28Dana advanced away from the wall with
4:37:30Thor, flanked by her golems and aiming
4:37:33for the faces with her magic missiles to
4:37:35distract them while the war cleric and
4:37:37the lightning sero stabbed and crushed.
4:37:40A stacked flaming body attack sent a
4:37:43commander rankill giant flying as Carl
4:37:45moved to the left, blocking the
4:37:47reinforcements while his team dealt with
4:37:49the right side of the line. He switched
4:37:51to his bow as he advanced, shooting
4:37:53point blank into the hill giants and
4:37:55impaling them with flamecoated arrows
4:37:57that made their bodies ripple as if they
4:37:59had been hit with the maul and not a
4:38:00small arrow head. Shatter didn't care
4:38:03how large the physical impact was, only
4:38:06that it happened, and the effect on
4:38:08ascended ranked giants was devastating.
4:38:11Carl heard the whistle behind him that
4:38:12said they had cleared the last few
4:38:14giants at this end of the line, and he
4:38:16began to push faster, using the erratic
4:38:18movements of Ray and the spider golems
4:38:20to his advantage, taking out giants who
4:38:22turned away from him to defend
4:38:24themselves.
4:38:25The fire elementals raced past him,
4:38:27engulfing their targets and burning them
4:38:29to ash in seconds, even with the earth
4:38:31shields that the hill giants tried to
4:38:33establish. They were a surprisingly
4:38:36brutal attack force and nearly
4:38:38impossible to defend against as they had
4:38:40no real physical form. Oilia and Tank
4:38:44were raging alongside Thor, who didn't
4:38:46seem to attract their eye the way that
4:38:48human teammates often did in battle. But
4:38:50Bob had come over to join Carl as they
4:38:52began the sweep. Dana retreated from the
4:38:55insanity that was two berserkers and a
4:38:57rampaging Thor, bringing her golems to
4:38:59flank Bob and protect the clerics from
4:39:01attacks. But Lotus and Doug weren't
4:39:04slacking either. Spiked vines shot up
4:39:07from the ground, tripping and entangling
4:39:09the giants as Carl shot them full of
4:39:11arrows and Bob hacked them apart. The
4:39:14strike force was moving at a walking
4:39:16pace through the hill giants for now,
4:39:18but more of the defenders were turning
4:39:20their way, realizing that the first
4:39:22group hadn't stopped the attack. That
4:39:24was the primary goal of the academyy's
4:39:26attack, to cause the hill giants to stop
4:39:29their attack and change tactics.
4:39:31But so far, the team was only attracting
4:39:34attention from those near them behind
4:39:36the wall, and none of the giants was
4:39:37charging at the rest of the defenders
4:39:39where the students could more easily
4:39:41hack them apart. There were 30 km of
4:39:44line in total under the purview of the
4:39:46academy if you included the artillery
4:39:48section. There was no way that Carl's
4:39:50team alone could shake up that much
4:39:52distance. But in a few more minutes, the
4:39:55other teams would charge as well, and
4:39:57that might be enough to get the giants
4:39:58moving. But in the immediate area, they
4:40:01had more than done their job. There was
4:40:04a huge breach in the wall. The end of
4:40:06the hill giant defense was obliterated,
4:40:08and the elites were rapidly making their
4:40:10way across the line. At this rate, they
4:40:13might actually make it to the next
4:40:15team's location before they even
4:40:16attacked. But Carl knew that was wishful
4:40:19thinking. There was no way that this
4:40:21force would be made up so heavily of
4:40:23ascended ranked giants.
4:40:25Not when they routinely reached
4:40:27commander by the time they were in their
4:40:29prime. As Carl's team advanced, the hill
4:40:32giants retreated, creating a proper
4:40:34defensive formation behind their barrier
4:40:36wall. It wasn't going to matter for long
4:40:39as the spider golems were headed for the
4:40:41side of the group furthest from the wall
4:40:43with Thor between them and the warriors.
4:40:46The chances that something was going to
4:40:48get past that moving steamroller were
4:40:49slim to none, especially with earthquake
4:40:52and thorn vines pulling giants to the
4:40:55ground every second. The vines were
4:40:57spreading faster than Carl was walking,
4:41:00making it nearly impossible for the hill
4:41:02giants to move freely and leaving them
4:41:04vulnerable to the attacks of the golems
4:41:06and Carl's arrows. The radio on
4:41:08Morgana's coat was silent as they fought
4:41:11with the leadership not wanting to miss
4:41:12a call for support due to unnecessary
4:41:15chatter. The witch doctor was really
4:41:17coming into her element as she advanced.
4:41:19And after she had Remy fill a bottle
4:41:21with venom, her curse turned from simply
4:41:23being necrotic to being venomous,
4:41:25leaving the affected giants in
4:41:27convulsions or screaming in agony. Carl
4:41:30reminded himself not to get into any
4:41:32serious fights with that woman. Her
4:41:34magic was insidious, and if it made it
4:41:37past your barriers, even carried on the
4:41:39air, you were done for. Over and over,
4:41:42the hill giants brought up stone
4:41:44barriers to slow the humans. But they
4:41:46were just as quickly shattered to gravel
4:41:48by the golems, while Dana and Colonel
4:41:50Wilks worked together to keep an
4:41:52umbrella barrier up over the group to
4:41:53deflect throne stones. Even if the
4:41:56refreshing lightning barrier held, it
4:41:59would be a mess if someone was knocked
4:42:00to the ground and off their rhythm. A
4:42:03horn sounded in the distance and Carl
4:42:05sensed the shift in the giants as they
4:42:07began to attack the advancing teams
4:42:09instead of focusing on moving toward his
4:42:11group. Doug's voice echoed through the
4:42:13group, amplified by his magic. Push
4:42:17faster, double time, and we will break
4:42:20the defense in front of the next group.
4:42:22He announced his attunement to nature
4:42:25made it easier for him to tell where
4:42:27living things were. And nobody
4:42:28questioned his judgment as they focused
4:42:30on making progress and not just steadily
4:42:32pressuring the hill giants. Attack the
4:42:35wall on your left. Shatter it with the
4:42:38mall. Doug called half a minute later.
4:42:42Carl followed the instruction and found
4:42:44that there was a group 20 m away running
4:42:46toward him. Good to see you all. Take
4:42:50your positions.
4:42:52Carl called to the closest warrior. This
4:42:55team had no mages in it. only one druid
4:42:57that was in owlbear form to run faster.
4:43:01Carl suspected that would be the case
4:43:02for many groups. The mages couldn't keep
4:43:05up with the pace, so they wouldn't have
4:43:07volunteered to come along and drag the
4:43:09group down. The owl bears surged in size
4:43:12as he approached Carl, and brutality was
4:43:15extended to encompass his group.
4:43:18Unfortunately, none of them were animal
4:43:20type berserkers, so it was only the
4:43:22druid that was enhanced. But nine more
4:43:24warriors, all close combat swords with
4:43:26heavy armor and shields, made the
4:43:28progress even faster. The groups are
4:43:31staggered. If we can make the next spot
4:43:34in 2 minutes, we will be able to pick
4:43:36them up as well. One of the warriors
4:43:38shouted as he moved past the golems to
4:43:41join the fight. Got it. We will keep up
4:43:44the pace as much as we can. Bob called
4:43:47back as Carl was focused on his archery.
4:43:51They were just passing the new gap in
4:43:52the wall when Carl heard more shouting
4:43:54from the human side of the lines and
4:43:56Hawk relayed him an update. "It looks
4:43:59like there are spellb blades here."
4:44:01"These ones are wearing red." "I wonder
4:44:04if that means they're all Tessa," he
4:44:07asked. "I think it's just like the
4:44:10colors of our uniforms, not like the
4:44:12clerics,"
4:44:13Carl replied as he kept up his attack
4:44:15speed. More mages would be a wonderful
4:44:18addition to their group, but he had no
4:44:20idea when the academy force had gotten
4:44:22spell blades as reinforcements.
4:44:25Carl's team wasn't that far along the
4:44:27line now, barely up to even with the
4:44:29main camp, so they weren't coming from
4:44:31some remote location. The mages moved
4:44:34swiftly with their magic and fell in
4:44:36behind the group, reinforcing the
4:44:38weakening barriers over the team before
4:44:40sending a few of their members forward
4:44:41to use ranged sword attacks from the
4:44:43second line where Carl was firing his
4:44:45arrows.
4:44:47No words were spoken, just an increase
4:44:49in the volume of attacks and the pace of
4:44:51the fight with each hill giant only
4:44:53lasting for a few strikes before the
4:44:54mast attacks cut them down. With 30 of
4:44:57them in the team, they were no longer
4:44:59struggling. Even when the hill giants
4:45:01started to try to encircle the group,
4:45:04the spellb blades moved to intercept
4:45:06them, creating a defensive semicircle
4:45:08with the wall on one side while the
4:45:10vines surrounded the group and progress
4:45:12momentarily ground to a halt. The giants
4:45:15were falling in record numbers, but they
4:45:17still hadn't found the leadership group.
4:45:19So Carl began to check faces as he
4:45:21fought. Hopefully these weren't groups
4:45:24of clones sent to cause chaos before
4:45:26they died.
4:45:28Carl could sense the worry from their
4:45:30lines as the group halted and then the
4:45:32relief as they began to push forward
4:45:33again. The vampiric blade waiting in the
4:45:36mental space where bonded gear went
4:45:38while not in use was thrumming with
4:45:39energy. So Carl took it out and slung it
4:45:42across his back with a loop of leather
4:45:43on his armor. It wasn't properly secure
4:45:46and it would swing about as he ran. But
4:45:49the energy began to flow from the blade
4:45:50to him, flooding his space with power as
4:45:53the blade shone with power. Finally, he
4:45:56couldn't ignore the pull anymore, and
4:45:58Carl put away the bow, taking the blade
4:46:00in his hands to charge into the hill
4:46:02giants. The blade looked like it was
4:46:05better quality than Carl remembered, and
4:46:07the flood of power that it was absorbing
4:46:08was causing Carl's body to sing with
4:46:10refreshing power. Water vortexes swirled
4:46:14through the giants as Lotus activated
4:46:16the enchantment on her staff, and Carl
4:46:18laughed as water ran down his face from
4:46:20Remy's thunderstorm. The whole area was
4:46:23turning into a swamp complete with thorn
4:46:25vines, and the giants were starting to
4:46:28sink in the mud as the earth softened.
4:46:30It had been churned by weeks of battle
4:46:32and artillery fire. There was no
4:46:35unturned dirt here, and the constant
4:46:37downpour was turning it all to a thick
4:46:39and sticky soup. Even the humans were
4:46:42having a hard time moving through it,
4:46:44while the giants were barely mobile as
4:46:45they sunk to their shins.
4:46:48Then it was suddenly easy to walk again
4:46:50as one of the spellb blades cast a
4:46:52movement spell on the team, allowing
4:46:54them to step lightly on the soft ground.
4:46:56More shouting was coming from the line
4:46:58and it sounded like it was a little
4:47:00behind them. Hawk, where is the next
4:47:03team coming from? Carl asked behind us a
4:47:07little, but they have a huge guy with a
4:47:10smashing tool as well. That was good
4:47:13enough for Carl. There were no giants
4:47:16behind them, so the team could make a
4:47:17breach and storm in to join the group at
4:47:19their own pace. The wall shook and
4:47:22rumbled as the warriors hammered it
4:47:24repeatedly. Then it slowly crumbled,
4:47:26letting them through, but already 30 m
4:47:28behind the advancing force and late
4:47:30enough that the mages running behind
4:47:32them had caught up. Carl knew they were
4:47:35frustrated, and he decided to hammer a
4:47:37hole for the next group, no matter how
4:47:39much Hawk thought that they should be
4:47:40able to deal with it themselves.
4:47:43Five layers of royal rank flaming body
4:47:45was far more damaged than most ascended
4:47:47or commander rank warriors could do even
4:47:49without the buffs or shatter. The next
4:47:52few kilometers of the hill giant lines
4:47:54were already in motion now rearranging
4:47:57themselves and creating rows of
4:47:58defensive fortifications behind the main
4:48:00barrier wall between them and the human
4:48:02lines. It would slow the advance of
4:48:05Carl's team. But if they weren't going
4:48:07to send large numbers of reinforcements
4:48:09to the front, that was all it would do.
4:48:12slow them and not stop them. The primary
4:48:15objective of the assault, to stop the
4:48:17hill giants from throwing boulders from
4:48:19their protected position, had been
4:48:21largely achieved.
4:48:23Now, they just needed to keep them from
4:48:24going back to it the moment that the
4:48:26human team retreated. A few minutes
4:48:29worth of delay wasn't going to change
4:48:30the pressure of the advance, and the
4:48:32rest of the suicidal charge plan had
4:48:34been altered to join the main force
4:48:36already pushing through the hill giant
4:48:37lines. With the holes in the wall, they
4:48:40could retreat and return to the main
4:48:42force any time that they wanted, leaving
4:48:44a large portion of the hill giant
4:48:46defenses empty or allowing a change of
4:48:48shifts with new fighters coming in to
4:48:50replace them. The charge into the hill
4:48:53giant lines had gathered enough momentum
4:48:55now that they were easily clearing the
4:48:57defenders. But the more that they
4:48:58eliminated, the more uneasy the
4:49:00attackers felt. They had to be missing
4:49:03something. The hill giants weren't this
4:49:06stupid. They should have retreated when
4:49:08they realized that their tactic wasn't
4:49:09working. But it was only when a stone
4:49:12barrier in front of them collapsed that
4:49:14Carl and the others on the attacking
4:49:15team realized that the hill giants had
4:49:17brought a secret weapon. Traitors,
4:49:2110 human men, all at the low side of
4:49:23royal rank and looking unstable with
4:49:25insane eyes glaring back at the elites
4:49:27above the distinctive taberts that Carl
4:49:29recognized as the uniforms of church
4:49:31guards, minus the white robes, which had
4:49:34been replaced by black ones.
4:49:36They must have been given a resource to
4:49:38boost their power, perhaps temporarily.
4:49:41Their leader pointed a blade at Carl.
4:49:44The Titan gods demand his head. Bring it
4:49:47to me. Carl spun his blade to a
4:49:50defensive position, ready for the
4:49:52incoming attack. But from behind him,
4:49:54the spell blades were even faster. The
4:49:5710 of them soared over his head, aiming
4:49:59for the traitors, and the fight was on.
4:50:02The spellb blades were unflinching in
4:50:04their attack, but they were outmatched.
4:50:06And as Carl sent the first chain
4:50:08lightning into the attackers, the Titan
4:50:10god followers quickly split apart so
4:50:12each of them could hold off two of the
4:50:14commander ranked spellblades, leaving
4:50:16five to deal with Carl while the rest of
4:50:18the elite group fought the hill giants.
4:50:21But Carl wasn't alone either, and Ry
4:50:23sent her spider golems to his sides
4:50:25while the traitors carefully advanced,
4:50:27making preparations to deal with the
4:50:29added threat. too weak. Carl laughed as
4:50:33the closest of the warriors blade
4:50:34shattered as it failed its attempt to
4:50:36absorb chain lightning. He dropped the
4:50:39shattered blade and pulled another from
4:50:41reserve while two more moved to engage
4:50:43Carl and two moved to block the spider
4:50:45golems for quick strikes from the
4:50:48traitor's shattered refreshing lightning
4:50:50but not flaming body. And the attacker's
4:50:53smiles turned to glee while they parried
4:50:55Carl's furious counterattack. The man in
4:50:58the back took a moment to gloat before
4:51:00rejoining the fight. Any last words? He
4:51:04sneered, wiping his soaked hair from his
4:51:06face as the thunderstorm continued to
4:51:08rage overhead. Blood for the spider god.
4:51:12A streak of distorted air flashed by
4:51:14Carl. As Ray moved to attack, blood flew
4:51:18as her forehead pierced the chest of her
4:51:20target, and the gloating man's eyes
4:51:22turned wide in shock as the blood spray
4:51:24made the outline of Ray visible again.
4:51:27Skill upgraded perfect adaptation grants
4:51:30the user the ability to mimic their
4:51:32surroundings so perfectly that they
4:51:33become invisible to those with lesser
4:51:35senses. Royal rank progression of
4:51:38camouflage.
4:51:40Ry had evolved another skill to royal
4:51:42rank, but it couldn't deal with the
4:51:44blood spray on her, so she darted back
4:51:46into the swarm of hill giants while the
4:51:48man gasped and tried to staunch the
4:51:49blood flow, unaware that he had been hit
4:51:51with lacerate or that the wound extended
4:51:54out his back. The two traitors fighting
4:51:57Carl renewed their attacks, hacking away
4:51:59at his defenses faster than Carl could
4:52:01parry their blows and leaving him no
4:52:03chance to make an attack of his own. For
4:52:06a most of a minute, it seemed that there
4:52:08was nothing that Carl could do to gain
4:52:09the upper hand without having the spider
4:52:11golems cover for him. But they weren't
4:52:13finished with their own targets yet. The
4:52:16melee was turning into a drawn out and
4:52:18losing battle as his barriers were
4:52:20repeatedly diminished, then refreshed,
4:52:22even with the effects of circle of
4:52:24protection active. Individually, the
4:52:27traitors weren't much stronger than Carl
4:52:29was, but they had years of experience
4:52:31fighting together, and when Carl moved
4:52:33to defend against one, the other always
4:52:35seemed to get a hit in. Carl was forced
4:52:38back on the defensive and refreshing
4:52:41lightning was taken down by a glancing
4:52:43blow to his face just after he got it
4:52:45reactivated for the fifth time. But the
4:52:48two traitors fighting the spider golems
4:52:50weren't fairing as well. They were no
4:52:52faster than the spiders, and they didn't
4:52:54have eight sharp limbs, four of which
4:52:56the spiders typically used to attack
4:52:58their targets while balancing on their
4:53:00hind half. Then Ray flashed across the
4:53:03battlefield again, and another traitor
4:53:05fell with a pair of forlims through his
4:53:07back before being hurled across the
4:53:09battlefield. The Spellblades weren't as
4:53:12outright powerful as their targets, but
4:53:14they were all exceptional fighters in
4:53:16their own right, and considered a battle
4:53:18against an average target above their
4:53:19own rank to be the minimum standard for
4:53:21their members. At the moment, they
4:53:24weren't winning, but as Ry aimed at
4:53:26another target with his back to her, it
4:53:28was clear to Carl that wouldn't be the
4:53:29case for long. This was Ray's perfect
4:53:32battlefield, and assassination was in
4:53:34her very nature. Carl rolled backward to
4:53:38avoid the next attack, as his defenses
4:53:40were failing, and refreshing lightning
4:53:41wasn't back up yet. The blades whistled
4:53:44through the air where he had been
4:53:45standing. Then, two huge feet stomped
4:53:48down between Carl and the traitors as
4:53:50Thor intervened with an earthquake that
4:53:52threw the attackers to the ground, while
4:53:54Tessa sent out a wave of golden light
4:53:56that empowered everyone on their side.
4:53:58Then the SEO retreated to charge the
4:54:00hill giants who were trying to take
4:54:02advantage of the situation to get at the
4:54:04mages. While Thor was out of position,
4:54:06and Carl hurled a chain lightning
4:54:08through the rain as he got back to his
4:54:10feet. One traitor backed away using
4:54:13guard to absorb the blow while the other
4:54:16moved to attack, raising his blade over
4:54:18his head. Then tragedy befell the
4:54:21aggressive traitor, and he lost his
4:54:22footing in the mud, sliding past Carl
4:54:25toward the mages as his strike was
4:54:26parried. Remy didn't hesitate and her
4:54:29fangs sunk deep into the man's throat
4:54:31before she retreated to safety behind
4:54:33Ailia, who simply kicked the man back
4:54:35away from the group, sending him flying
4:54:37out into the melee. The remaining
4:54:40traitors began to glow with a purple
4:54:42light, doubling in height as they
4:54:43fought, but becoming thinner by the
4:54:45second, wasting away as they burned
4:54:47their life force to achieve their goals.
4:54:50Four of the spellb blades fell in the
4:54:52first seconds after the change, while
4:54:53the others regrouped into a defensive
4:54:55circle to reinforce each other's magic
4:54:57and wait out the remaining life of the
4:54:59traitors. Traitors who were never truly
4:55:02interested in them. As one, they all
4:55:05turned to Carl, who braced for the worst
4:55:07before a strike to the back sent him
4:55:09flying. Not just tumbling across the
4:55:12ground, flying through the air and over
4:55:14the hill giant defenders out of combat.
4:55:17The Berserk traders turned to chase
4:55:19after him, and Carl felt Thor's immense
4:55:21pleasure that his catapult trick worked.
4:55:24It might not have been the answer Carl
4:55:26was looking for, but the distraction
4:55:28cost the traitors three more of their
4:55:29members as Ry and her spider golems took
4:55:31advantage, leaving the last few traitors
4:55:34outnumbered and outmatched.
4:55:36Strategically, it was brilliant, and the
4:55:38last of the Titan God followers died
4:55:40with a bellow of rage.
4:55:42However, that left Carl on the wrong
4:55:44side of the battle, 50 m from his team
4:55:47with an army of hill giants between him
4:55:49and the others. He was getting that odd
4:55:52feeling that someone was laughing at him
4:55:54again back in the back of his mind, but
4:55:56he couldn't quite put his finger on
4:55:58where it was coming from. Not from one
4:56:00of his beasts, that was for certain.
4:56:03They were laughing at his situation, but
4:56:05it wasn't the same feeling. Their
4:56:08laughter was more due to a sense of
4:56:09amusement that he made such a good
4:56:11projectile.
4:56:12Carl looked at his options, deciding
4:56:14what the best way to get back to the
4:56:16group would be. They had lost a total of
4:56:19six commanders during the last fight.
4:56:22Four to the royal rank traders and two
4:56:24to the hill giants, but Carl couldn't
4:56:26tell which two from Hawk's updated
4:56:28headcount. But there were more mages and
4:56:30healers incoming from the main line now
4:56:33that the progression had stalled, and
4:56:35hopefully they would get someone who
4:56:36could resurrect. The teachers had to
4:56:39have sent messages back by now, letting
4:56:41the others know the situation.
4:56:44Carl was about to move back into combat
4:56:46when he looked down at his gear and
4:56:48noticed that his armor was absolutely
4:56:49shredded, cut in over a dozen different
4:56:51spots, and soaked with his own blood
4:56:53from shallow wounds that had already
4:56:55healed under the effects of refreshing
4:56:57lightning, as well as Lotus and Doug's
4:56:59area healing abilities. If he was lucky,
4:57:02those with magical repair abilities
4:57:04might salvage that mess, but he might
4:57:06have to replace his gear after today.
4:57:09The demise of the traitors marked the
4:57:11end of the hill giant forces plans and
4:57:13they began to back away from the
4:57:15attacking force, disengaging from combat
4:57:17before those further down the line began
4:57:19to retreat out of artillery range. That
4:57:22was good enough to call it a win for
4:57:24Carl. So he just waited for the hill
4:57:26giants to run away as he did his best to
4:57:28absorb the massive influx of life force
4:57:30that his blade was giving him. It merged
4:57:33smoothly with the power cores in the
4:57:34spaces and they were quickly coming to a
4:57:36peak again. But there was more power
4:57:38coming in, so he was going to have to
4:57:40spread it through the spaces soon and
4:57:42start reforming the cores once more to
4:57:44continue the process. They had to be
4:57:47getting close to peak commander now with
4:57:49Ry advancing her species traits to royal
4:57:51rank. But Carl couldn't feel the
4:57:53bottleneck that he knew was coming when
4:57:54he reached the peak and had to learn how
4:57:56to adjust his power to royal rank. Once
4:57:59the hill giants were a safe distance
4:58:01away, Carl made his way back to the
4:58:03group and took out his maul to open a
4:58:05new hole in the wall. They would have to
4:58:07do something about that eventually, as
4:58:09the next group of hill giants to arrive
4:58:11would also take shelter behind it. That
4:58:14wasn't Carl's problem. The academy had
4:58:16earth mages as well, and they could
4:58:18disassemble the wall with ease once
4:58:20nothing was protecting it and the magic
4:58:22barriers had faded. With the battle
4:58:25over, Tessa and Thor began the work of
4:58:27looting the good bits, as did many of
4:58:29the others who were in suitable shape
4:58:30for some scavenging. Loot was loot, and
4:58:34the group was loading Thor's bags with
4:58:35anything magical. By the time that Carl
4:58:38made it to the line, most of the fallen
4:58:40had been brought back to life, and only
4:58:42one body bag was being carried away on a
4:58:45stretcher. It wasn't one of the team
4:58:47members that Carl knew, which was a
4:58:49small blessing, but a lot of the attack
4:58:51team were looking even worse than he
4:58:53was. They slowly made their way back to
4:58:56the line, moving at the speed of an
4:58:58exhausted mage. It was the only pace
4:59:01where nobody was left behind as many of
4:59:03them were supporting each other while
4:59:04the healing spells worked their magic.
4:59:07Healing magic closed wounds quickly,
4:59:09healed muscles and bones more slowly,
4:59:12but the aches and pains usually
4:59:13lingered. If they really wanted, the
4:59:16clerics could heal a body full of broken
4:59:18bones in a second, but the mana
4:59:20requirement was extreme. And as Carl
4:59:22understood it, the healed body often
4:59:24suffered from lingering trauma and
4:59:26phantom pains that were more severe than
4:59:28if it were healed more slowly.
4:59:30So it was sometimes necessary to save a
4:59:33life, but they did their best to avoid
4:59:35it. As they approached the academy
4:59:37defensive line, all of the students and
4:59:39the reserve soldiers who have been
4:59:41called up stood to salute the returning
4:59:43elites. Nobody had expected that fight
4:59:46to go even remotely well, but still they
4:59:48had volunteered.
4:59:50The headmaster himself came up to
4:59:52welcome them back and check everyone for
4:59:54damage to assure himself that they were
4:59:56fit to continue their duties. Welcome
4:59:59back everyone. You have the rest of the
5:00:02day off, so go get something to eat and
5:00:04some rest to let those freshly healed
5:00:06wounds settle. He greeted them. Thank
5:00:09you, Headmaster.
5:00:11We could use both. Plus an armorer with
5:00:14magical repair skills. I'm told that my
5:00:18gear can be fixed even in this bad of
5:00:20shape. Carl replied, "Well, that bad of
5:00:24shape might be more than most can hope
5:00:26to fix, but we will get someone on it
5:00:28right away. All of you are in need of
5:00:31repairs, and Bondable equipment is in
5:00:33short supply these days." As they were
5:00:36talking, General Stonewall and Jackson
5:00:38came jogging over, looking positively
5:00:40overjoyed at the outcome. Commanders,
5:00:43ascended elites, wonderful work out
5:00:46there.
5:00:47You have defied every expectation that
5:00:49we had for your abilities.
5:00:51General Jackson announced the moment he
5:00:53arrived. General Jackson, it's good to
5:00:56see you again. The elites really did
5:00:59work wonders today, especially the
5:01:01healers. But we should get some food in
5:01:04us before we start answering your
5:01:05questions. I know that you must have a
5:01:08lot of them for us, Carl offered. The
5:01:12generals paused as they took in the
5:01:14battered state of the elites and nodded
5:01:15silently.
5:01:17Please forgive our enthusiasm.
5:01:20We are having a proper meal prepared now
5:01:22that the trailers have arrived and the
5:01:24butchering is well underway.
5:01:26Carl nodded. I had my beasts gather a
5:01:29huge amount of meat for the stockpile as
5:01:31well. Multiple trailers worth and all
5:01:34from the beasts that are considered
5:01:35fairly tasty. He didn't stop walking and
5:01:39just continued on to the mess hall where
5:01:41they had a number of large pressure
5:01:42cookers making stew for dinner and a new
5:01:44addition to the mess hall. Dozens of
5:01:46baking sheets and the newly created
5:01:48smokers cooking what appeared to be
5:01:50fresh dinner rolls so they didn't have
5:01:52to eat the strange canned bread or heart
5:01:53attack. The armorers were waiting there
5:01:56for the strike team as well.
5:01:58They were not usually considered
5:02:00combatants and were mostly awakened
5:02:02ranked soldiers who had gained crafting
5:02:04based classes with a few clerics who had
5:02:06repair skills mixed in. If everyone can
5:02:09change out of their armor and pass it
5:02:11over, we will have one of the armorers
5:02:13look it over. We will salvage as much as
5:02:16we can, but we will pass it all back to
5:02:18you when we're finished, even if we
5:02:20can't repair it back to perfect before
5:02:21tomorrow. We have plenty of supplies,
5:02:24but it looks like a lot of your gear is
5:02:26completely demolished.
5:02:28One of the men with a staff sergeant's
5:02:30chevrons on his arm announced, "It
5:02:33didn't take long for them to change, and
5:02:35the supply staff had sent as many
5:02:36armorers as there were team members. It
5:02:39might be the majority of their team
5:02:41given how much gear was destroyed
5:02:43compared to an average day, but it
5:02:45shouldn't be all of them. As much as
5:02:47they needed the gear fixed, they didn't
5:02:49want to leave the others without a
5:02:51single repair men." Lotus and Tessa
5:02:54stepped forward, and Tessa addressed the
5:02:56armorers.
5:02:57We will take care of our team's gear if
5:02:59you provide the materials.
5:03:01We have the skill to fix everything that
5:03:03they have been using. Of course, just
5:03:06let us know what you need. The whole
5:03:09armory is available to our commander
5:03:11rank members and high priestesses.
5:03:13The sergeant informed them. Tessa gave
5:03:16Carl a wink that said she would be
5:03:18taking advantage of that to fix
5:03:20absolutely everything to the best
5:03:21standard that she could. And Carl was
5:03:23eager to see it in action. It was a
5:03:26blessing of the war goddess, but she
5:03:28hadn't needed to use it since they met,
5:03:30as their armor had only gotten a little
5:03:31battered in that time, and it was mostly
5:03:33the cloth or leather items that needed
5:03:35mending. Those were Lotus specialty as a
5:03:38nature priestess, though Carl suspected
5:03:40that Doug could do it better now that he
5:03:42had advanced. The staff brought out
5:03:45bowls of stew for the early dinner,
5:03:47along with a load of the fresh buns,
5:03:49which were much denser than they looked,
5:03:51more like a scone or breakfast biscuit.
5:03:54It made sense. They were line cooks, not
5:03:56a bakery, and they needed to make
5:03:58thousands of them per meal. So, there
5:04:00was no time to let a nice fluffy bun
5:04:02rise. But the stew was just fresh meat,
5:04:05plus potatoes, onions, and carrots.
5:04:09All of which tasted right when they were
5:04:10prepared for storage. It was simple, but
5:04:14nutritious and filling, and everyone
5:04:16prepared to head back to their bunks,
5:04:17well-fed and ready for sleep. Of course,
5:04:20that wouldn't be happening quite so soon
5:04:22for any of Carl's team. Morgana was
5:04:25still limping from a leg injury. Lotus
5:04:28and Tessa were going to repair the gear
5:04:30while Oilia was too wound up from her
5:04:32Berserker rage and Dana needed to
5:04:34meditate. One of the mage class teachers
5:04:37spoke up as the elites began to rise
5:04:39from their tables. Before you go, we
5:04:42have the books prepared for anyone who
5:04:43can use them. Terrorize and brutality.
5:04:47We're told they work best for those with
5:04:49animal aspects. So, the clerics are all
5:04:51trying them with variable results. The
5:04:54druid who had been an owl bear for most
5:04:56of the battle looked stoked at the news
5:04:58as he could go fully anim animalistic,
5:05:00but most of the others dismissed the
5:05:02comment as unlikely to help them. You
5:05:05might need to be in animal form, even if
5:05:07it's just a bit of scale or an eye
5:05:09transformation, to get the books to
5:05:11work. They were designed for beasts and
5:05:13are only cross-co compatible with
5:05:15humans, Carl added. So nobody would miss
5:05:18out. Tessa held out her hand for the
5:05:21books and quickly flipped the first one
5:05:23open. Her eyes shone red as they
5:05:26transformed to the slotted eyes of a
5:05:28dragon and an oppressive feeling filled
5:05:30the air. That would be terror eyes
5:05:33working for her. But no matter how she
5:05:35tried, the brutality book would not open
5:05:38for her. The next to try was Lotus, who
5:05:41had high hopes as a nature priestess who
5:05:43really loved animals.
5:05:45But no matter what she tried, including
5:05:48putting Remy on her shoulders, she
5:05:50couldn't get either book to open for
5:05:51her. The same went for Doug, who was
5:05:54unable to get either of the spells to
5:05:56work. But the moment that the druid
5:05:58touched them in owlbear form, he
5:06:00instantly enlarged and keen a proud cry
5:06:02that was eerily similar to Hawk. He
5:06:05says, "Fuck yes, it worked." Hawk
5:06:09relayed. Tell him congratulations.
5:06:12Carl instructed and Hawk screeched a
5:06:15reply that startled the druid. He
5:06:17pointed at Hawk in shock. And then the
5:06:19two had a brief conversation of shrieks
5:06:21that would have annoyed anyone with ears
5:06:23if it weren't so funny to see. Now that
5:06:26we have established that owlbears really
5:06:28do speak the same language as dragon
5:06:30hawks, let's move on. The inscriptionist
5:06:33announced with a pained look all around
5:06:36the room. They tried, even having the
5:06:38Berserkers rage to try to get the skill,
5:06:40but only those with an animalistic
5:06:42transformation managed to get the
5:06:43Berserk terror transformation that
5:06:45Oilia, Tank, and the Druid had
5:06:47accomplished.
5:06:49Well, at least it isn't as bad as the
5:06:51other one. We are going to pass these
5:06:53out all down the lines today, and
5:06:55hopefully we can get another dozen or so
5:06:58berserkers and druids educated."
5:07:00Carl chuckled at his optimism, but Doug
5:07:03thought it might be possible. You should
5:07:06also look for the clerics who have
5:07:07transformations, especially the white
5:07:09robes and the nature priests. Many of
5:07:12them have an animal-based sensory spell
5:07:14that will partially transform them, but
5:07:16neither of us here have learned that
5:07:17sort of blessing. General Stonewall
5:07:20looked at Wolf before he could turn to
5:07:22leave and raised an eyebrow in a curious
5:07:24expression. What was your plan if there
5:07:27had been Royal Rank attackers hidden
5:07:29among the hill giants? he asked. "Have
5:07:33you ever stepped on a ketchup packet?"
5:07:35Carl replied. "It would go something
5:07:38like that." The Berserkers laughed as
5:07:41Carl turned to leave, but he could swear
5:07:43he actually felt Morgana rolling her
5:07:45eyes at him. He walked out to get the
5:07:47clerics to fix his gear in the fort. But
5:07:50as Carl left the mess hall, he heard the
5:07:52general ask the real question. "But for
5:07:55which side?" The fort was quiet as
5:07:58everyone sorted out their armor after
5:07:59putting it into storage to remove the
5:08:01filth and then taking it back out, but
5:08:03not equipped. Do you think that Ry
5:08:06really did advance? She vanished in the
5:08:08middle of the fight and we could hardly
5:08:10see her. It was like she became a screen
5:08:13projecting the surrounding scenery and
5:08:15she just vanished until you touched her.
5:08:18Lotus asked as she started to mend the
5:08:20leather on Dana's armor. Carl shook his
5:08:23head. Not yet, but very soon. She's
5:08:27already advanced at least one of her
5:08:29innate skills, so it won't be far. I
5:08:32think she just needs a bit of time to
5:08:34finish adapting, and she will be there.
5:08:37What about the others? Lotus asked.
5:08:41Well, Hawk and Thor are both close, but
5:08:43I'm not certain how easy their potential
5:08:45is going to make the process. Remy still
5:08:48needs some time to grow.
5:08:50Royal rank is likely going to be an
5:08:52evolutionary bottleneck for her, so she
5:08:54might get stuck for a moment. Carl
5:08:57shrugged as he lay the last of his armor
5:08:59flat to assess the damage. It looked
5:09:02even worse now, laid out on the floor
5:09:04than it had when he was wearing it.
5:09:06Tessa sighed as she looked at the torn
5:09:08chain links and steel plates torn into
5:09:10pieces. You really did a number on this
5:09:13suit, didn't you? How did you manage to
5:09:16get through a battle without any major
5:09:18injuries when your entire armor set is
5:09:20Swiss cheese? She asked as she started
5:09:22to work. I've been thinking about that
5:09:25and I've realized that it's an issue
5:09:27with my technique. You see, flaming body
5:09:31prefers to keep tight to my skin except
5:09:33where it's extended over my weapon. But
5:09:36that means that it's under my armor and
5:09:38only refreshing lightning is over the
5:09:40top. So Thor's barrier takes the first
5:09:44round of damage, the armor takes the
5:09:46second, and the flaming body barrier is
5:09:48the third. So I didn't take too many
5:09:51serious wounds, but the armor took a
5:09:53beating. It's just how the spell wants
5:09:55to work, so I didn't think much of it as
5:09:58I normally use it more for offense than
5:10:00defense, Carl explained. How does your
5:10:04weapon look? Tessa asked. Carl took it
5:10:08out and noticed that the broad blade
5:10:10looked much better polished and with
5:10:11fewer imperfections than he remembered
5:10:13it. The blade's inscription said it was
5:10:16intended to absorb the life force of
5:10:17defeated opponents to grow the power of
5:10:19its wielder to make them a champion of
5:10:21their people. But it appeared that the
5:10:23blade itself grew with them so they
5:10:25didn't discard it along the way. Not
5:10:27that it would let Carl easily discard it
5:10:30with the way that it kept rejecting
5:10:31every other bladed weapon he touched. It
5:10:34looks pristine to me. The weapon is a
5:10:37bit special, so I don't think that I
5:10:39need to worry much about pitting in the
5:10:40edge or cracks," Carl noted. Tessa gave
5:10:44it a cursory look, then nodded and gave
5:10:47it back. Yeah, it looks like it survived
5:10:50the battle much better than your armor
5:10:52did. This will take a bit, and there is
5:10:54a leather backing, so I will have to
5:10:56pass it to Lotus once she's finished.
5:10:59Well, I had Thor drop a load of gear at
5:11:01the base of the trees, so if mine is too
5:11:03messed up, I can try to bond something
5:11:05from the hill giants. The gauntlets have
5:11:08a particularly good strength
5:11:09enchantment, though, if we can fix
5:11:11those. Carl offered, "Right, there is
5:11:15loot and spare parts below the tree. Go
5:11:18look for a chest plate that will bond to
5:11:20you, and I should be able to get the
5:11:22rest done in the next hour or two.
5:11:24Nobody else's gear is this mangled, and
5:11:27I barely even took damage, so mine is
5:11:29all still serviceable. I will fix it
5:11:32last so we have everyone operational at
5:11:34the very least," Tessa replied. Carl
5:11:38climbed down the ladder to check the
5:11:40piles that Thor had placed at the bottom
5:11:42of the trees. "They would have someone
5:11:44come clean them up later, but for now,
5:11:46there was a lot to pick through." The
5:11:49hill giants also wore better equipment
5:11:51than the frost giants did, as they used
5:11:53earth magic and could easily make their
5:11:55own metal plate armor. Not much of it
5:11:58was actually enchanted, but the pieces
5:12:00that were enchanted tended to be fairly
5:12:02good quality, even if most of them were
5:12:04so large that it was a pain for even
5:12:06Thor to bring them back here. Carl
5:12:09looked through the pile, looking for
5:12:10chest plates. There were only a few to
5:12:13choose from, as the ones worn by the
5:12:15hill giants were too large to be easily
5:12:18brought back. But there was a decent one
5:12:20without any visible damage that Carl
5:12:22matched with its back plate and tried.
5:12:25Unfortunately, it didn't bond with him.
5:12:28So Carl kept digging through the pile
5:12:30until he found a human-sized one that
5:12:32was made of light blue metal chain with
5:12:34a shining steel or silver chest plate
5:12:36over it. Carl knew this one. It had a
5:12:39single hole over the heart, both front
5:12:41and back. That made it the first one
5:12:44that Ry had ambushed after her skill
5:12:46advanced, the guy who had died while
5:12:48trash talking. It wasn't undamaged, but
5:12:51it was in better shape than what he had
5:12:53been wearing, and the materials looked
5:12:55both powerful and exotic. There was no
5:12:58actual restriction on having spare
5:12:59armor, as far as Carl knew. So, he tried
5:13:02to bond it, and the armor easily slid
5:13:04into place under his shirt and jacket.
5:13:07It was lightweight, comfortable, and
5:13:09once the holes were fixed, it should be
5:13:11good protection that could be somewhat
5:13:13stealthily worn at all times, not like
5:13:15the heavy leather and plate combo he had
5:13:17before. That might also mean that it
5:13:20wasn't actually great armor, but it was
5:13:22bonded now, and he could get Tessa to
5:13:24fix it quickly while the mangled pieces
5:13:26waited. What you up to down there? Bob
5:13:29McKenzie called from somewhere in the
5:13:31distance, sorting through armor pieces
5:13:34for something that won't make Tessa cry
5:13:36when she sees the condition. Carl called
5:13:39back, then heard the cleric laugh from
5:13:41above him. Bob came over and looked at
5:13:44the loot pile. Mind if I look as well?
5:13:47My gear was pretty beat by the end of
5:13:49the fight, and we loaded a literal ton
5:13:51of stuff into Thor's bags. Have at I've
5:13:55got a new chest plate. The bonded. It's
5:13:58this and only a little damaged. Carl
5:14:02explained as he took it off to show the
5:14:03warrior. Bob whistled.
5:14:07Now that's pretty. It looks like a
5:14:09commander rank piece, but the clerics
5:14:11will be able to tell you better if it's
5:14:13any good. Throw it up here and I'll tell
5:14:16you, Tessa called as she extended her
5:14:19hand out the entrance. Carl tossed it up
5:14:22to her and heard the cleric curse. This
5:14:25has to be Ray's work. Or is that your
5:14:27sword that went through and through? It
5:14:30had to suck to be whoever was wearing
5:14:32this last, but it's an easy fix with the
5:14:35proper application of repair magic. It's
5:14:38commander rank, and it's actually very
5:14:40sturdy armor, despite being designed to
5:14:42be worn under cleric robes without
5:14:44adding visible bulk, she announced.
5:14:48So, it was a church created piece that
5:14:50the traitors had taken with them. Carl
5:14:53saw a similar blue metal in the pile.
5:14:56Oh, there are the matching pants here as
5:14:58well. Check these out. He equipped them
5:15:01to ensure they would bond with him, then
5:15:03removed them and tossed them up to
5:15:05Tessa. Yeah, this is the matching half
5:15:08of the set. Help Bob find what he wants,
5:15:11and if you see more of those pieces,
5:15:13save them. They're good for the other
5:15:16clerics and mages. Tessa replied
5:15:19happily. The pants weren't damaged at
5:15:21all, so she could fix the chest and put
5:15:23Carl's original set of armor on the back
5:15:25burner to be done when she had the
5:15:27others combat ready again. She was quite
5:15:30familiar with the pattern of the clergy
5:15:32produced armor set, though the quality
5:15:34was higher than she was used to having
5:15:36access to. Commander rank armor was
5:15:39normally reserved for high priests, and
5:15:41they had their own armorers at the
5:15:42cathedral, so she hadn't had the
5:15:44opportunity to test her skills on their
5:15:46equipment.
5:15:47She could likely take a set for herself
5:15:49to be less conspicuous than the chain
5:15:51and plate set that she wore now, which
5:15:53layered around her robes, to leave
5:15:55shining golden plates on the outside and
5:15:57dull metal chain under her robes, making
5:16:00her look only partially armored. Bob
5:16:02stopped as he reached the pile and
5:16:04immediately picked up the plate set that
5:16:06Carl had set aside as incompatible with
5:16:08him.
5:16:10It vanished as soon as he picked it up,
5:16:12and a freshly polished steel plate
5:16:14complete with arm guards, which hadn't
5:16:16been part of the original set, appeared
5:16:18on the warrior. Now, pants. I need to
5:16:22find some new pants. One leg is totally
5:16:25mangled on mine, and the repair team
5:16:27won't have that ready for days. They say
5:16:30that we can take a few shifts off if our
5:16:32gear is still too damaged, but I would
5:16:34rather be back in battle, he explained.
5:16:38Here are some undamaged ones, but
5:16:40they're smaller, so they're likely
5:16:42ascended, possibly even awakened. Carl
5:16:45explained.
5:16:47Bob looked the gear over and shrugged.
5:16:50Ascended is good enough until I get my
5:16:51own armor back. Having a spare set will
5:16:54be a huge improvement, even if it's not
5:16:57as good as my primary gear. Tessa stuck
5:17:00her head out to see what they were
5:17:01talking about.
5:17:03No, that's commander rank as well, but
5:17:05made for a younger ascended or awakened
5:17:07giant. Likely some young master of the
5:17:10clan, she announced.
5:17:13Bob put it on and the armor completed
5:17:16his look, making him look like a proper
5:17:18knight covered in shiny steel armor. Did
5:17:21you break anything else? Carl asked as
5:17:24they both began to sort through the pile
5:17:26for the cleric pieces that Tessa wanted.
5:17:29It appeared that the scavengers had
5:17:30managed to save most of the traitors
5:17:32armor minus the set from one that had
5:17:34been yeeted off into the distance
5:17:36somewhere or completely mangled. Bob was
5:17:39not answering, but he was still digging
5:17:41after Carl was sure that they had all
5:17:42the reparable pieces of gear from the
5:17:44traitors that they were going to find.
5:17:46He was intent on something, so Carl just
5:17:49waited patiently as he hunted. Then he
5:17:52came up with a helmet that had a beaked
5:17:54front like the plague doctors wore to
5:17:56keep the smell from reaching them as
5:17:57they worked, but made of polished steel
5:18:00with two black horns on the sides. He
5:18:02equipped it on his head and Carl
5:18:04couldn't help but laugh. That hat is
5:18:07glorious.
5:18:09Absolutely ridiculous, but glorious.
5:18:12He joked, "Right. I saw it going into
5:18:16the bag and knew that I had to try to
5:18:18get it when none of the teachers were
5:18:20watching. You know that they would all
5:18:22want it for themselves once they saw its
5:18:24glory. Their conversation drew curious
5:18:27looks from above and Morgana laughed as
5:18:29she saw Bob all dressed for work. What
5:18:32in the world were you thinking? That hat
5:18:35is ridiculous.
5:18:37She laughed. Come down here and help me
5:18:40find a matching shield. I've got a black
5:18:43tabard and cloak to go with the look.
5:18:45Bob demanded. Morgana rolled her eyes
5:18:49and pointed to the far side of the pile.
5:18:52There is a black oak one over there. Try
5:18:55that first. It was round with a metal
5:18:58central dome and banding. Simple, but
5:19:01effective enough and hopefully a
5:19:03reasonable size once it was equipped. It
5:19:06had better shrink when equipped because
5:19:08right now it could double as a dinner
5:19:10table. Bob slid his arm through the
5:19:12straps to slide the pile of armor off
5:19:14the huge wooden platform. while Carl
5:19:17wondered what possessed Thor to bring
5:19:18that back with them. Unless he was using
5:19:21it as a platform to hold more bags of
5:19:23loot. The final look of the replacement
5:19:26armor set was simple, and once Bob
5:19:28equipped his tabard over the top, it was
5:19:30a good blend of steel and black. Other
5:19:33than the helmet, he looked like a proper
5:19:35knight, and the shield was large enough
5:19:37to keep using in his role as a defensive
5:19:39warrior.
5:19:40Carl climbed back up into the fort,
5:19:43followed by Bob, and found Doug already
5:19:45relaxing next to Lotus as he wo spells
5:19:47over Dana's robes. The mage was looking
5:19:50at the armor that had been recovered
5:19:52from the traitors with great interest.
5:19:54You know, this looks like it would be
5:19:56easy to move in and wouldn't interfere
5:19:58with my casting. Do you suppose that I
5:20:01could start wearing normal clothes for a
5:20:03change instead of enchanted mage robes
5:20:05if I had something like this for
5:20:07defense? she asked. Doug shrugged. I
5:20:12don't see why not. What did you have in
5:20:15mind? I would appreciate it if I could
5:20:17just wear pants and a hoodie like a
5:20:19normal human being. Mage robes feel far
5:20:22too much like a dress and I'm worried
5:20:24that I'm becoming too used to the
5:20:26skirts. Dana replied, "Why is that bad?
5:20:31I kind of like the breeze." Doug asked.
5:20:35I'm not a nature priestess.
5:20:38I am actually fond of wearing pants.
5:20:41Doug shrugged. That's a bit weird, but I
5:20:44can make you a normal outfit to go over
5:20:46your armor if you like. Pants and a
5:20:48hoodie. Lotus bonked him on the head
5:20:51with the side of her fist. I will do it.
5:20:55I have seen your fashion sense, and it's
5:20:57better that I pick out her outfit. We
5:20:59both used the same spell to weave cloth
5:21:02anyhow. They bickered as they finished
5:21:04repairing the armor and then Dana
5:21:06changed out of her robes to reveal that
5:21:08she had claimed one of the traitors
5:21:09armor sets for herself. Lotus booed her
5:21:13as she removed her spare robes and Dana
5:21:15poked the cleric in the forehead. I'm
5:21:18changing into my armor so you can make
5:21:20normal clothes to go over it, not giving
5:21:22everyone a strip show. Lotus shrugged.
5:21:26She was already bored, sitting here
5:21:28repairing armor for over an hour, and
5:21:30she needed entertainment.
5:21:32Dana had changed from the fur boots of
5:21:34the frost giant campaign back to the
5:21:36black combat boots that the academy
5:21:38issued students for missions. So Lotus
5:21:40was about to make a matching black
5:21:42hoodie for the mage. But Ry was faster.
5:21:45Dana was rapidly engulfed in a cocoon of
5:21:48silk as the bloodbath spider wo her
5:21:50magic from the exterior wall of the
5:21:51fort, aiming through the door. What is
5:21:54Ray doing? Lotus whispered to Carl as
5:21:57the mage vanished. decorating her. Dana,
5:22:01I guess Doug tried and failed to stop
5:22:04his laughter while Lotus rolled her
5:22:06eyes. Aren't you supposed to be a good
5:22:08father, raising them with values and
5:22:10morals? Oilia asked. Doug tried and
5:22:15failed to stop his laughter while Lotus
5:22:17rolled her eyes. Aren't you supposed to
5:22:19be a good father, raising them with
5:22:21values and morals? Oilia asked. Carl
5:22:26shook his head. I don't think that's how
5:22:28it works. They already have morals and
5:22:32values. I just teach them the human
5:22:34rules. Have you taught them about bodily
5:22:37autonomy and the value of consent? Lotus
5:22:40asked. I mean, they're a bit young for
5:22:43that. Now it was Carl's turn to get
5:22:46thumped on the head. Not like that.
5:22:49You're supposed to teach them to ask
5:22:51before doing things like wrapping people
5:22:52in a ball of web. Rey gave Lotus a look
5:22:56that said she definitely didn't
5:22:57understand. That's not how gifts work. I
5:23:01know that and you know that, but I don't
5:23:04think Lotus understands that this is a
5:23:05gift yet. Rey says it's a gift. You
5:23:09don't ask before giving gifts. You just
5:23:12give them. Carl explained.
5:23:15A gift? All right, I suppose that makes
5:23:18sense. Lotus relented. She was actually
5:23:22excited to see what the mage was going
5:23:24to come out looking like, given Ray's
5:23:26unique personality.
5:23:28For all that anyone knew, Dana might
5:23:30come out looking like something out of a
5:23:32vampire romance novel. Officially, those
5:23:35were vampire species propaganda, but
5:23:37they still managed to get a rather large
5:23:39following among the dark fantasy readers
5:23:41and goth girls. After most of a minute
5:23:44of manipulating her webs, Ry gave the
5:23:47cocoon a slice with her for leg,
5:23:49revealing Dana in all her newfound
5:23:51glory. She was wearing cargo pants and a
5:23:54hoodie as promised, both in jet black,
5:23:56but the hoodie was short, showing the
5:23:58chain mail around her midriff, while the
5:24:00pants were loose with plenty of pockets.
5:24:04Both were made of Commander Rank Spider
5:24:06silk woven thick and in the case of the
5:24:08hoodies, loosely to give it a soft
5:24:11surface similar to fleece.
5:24:13Dana turned to inspect herself and Carl
5:24:16noticed that there was a huge picture of
5:24:18Ry on the back of her hoodie in white
5:24:19thread. I have pockets.
5:24:23Dana noted with pleasure before stepping
5:24:25to the door to give Ry a hug. Is that
5:24:28not normal? Carl whispered to Doug.
5:24:32Women's clothing never has pockets for
5:24:34some reason. It's one of the reasons
5:24:36that priestesses like wearing their
5:24:38robes so much. There are proper pockets.
5:24:41The high priest whispered back. Dana
5:24:44pulled her mass of curly hair up out of
5:24:46the hoodie and pushed the hood back. Ah,
5:24:49that's better. It's too warm to have the
5:24:51hood up. But this outfit is wonderful.
5:24:55Oh, it even has a front zipper. Sort of.
5:24:58It wasn't actually a zipper, but a laced
5:25:01front tie because Ry didn't know how to
5:25:02make a zipper. But it did let her untie
5:25:05the hoodie a little for ventilation when
5:25:07she wasn't in combat. Dana focused and
5:25:10the outfit vanished, replaced by her
5:25:13school uniform, then returned. That is
5:25:16incredible. It's even bonded, so I can
5:25:18just change clothes.
5:25:20Thank you, Rey. This is a wonderful
5:25:23gift. Dana removed her armor and leaned
5:25:27back against the soft wall of the fort,
5:25:29completely satisfied with her new look.
5:25:32You know, before I came to the academy,
5:25:34this was much more fancy than anything I
5:25:36got to wear. My dad had a hard time
5:25:39holding a job and mom was home with the
5:25:42kids, so we never had knew anything. And
5:25:44we always ended up with those horrid
5:25:46coveralls that the clergy pass out to
5:25:47impoverished kids. She reminisced.
5:25:51I knew you lived in a small town, but I
5:25:54didn't know it was that bad. Carl noted.
5:25:58Sometimes it was, sometimes it wasn't,
5:26:00but dad was always cheap, so he always
5:26:03went to the church for clothing
5:26:04donations.
5:26:06They were used to seeing us at every
5:26:07handout from the times he wasn't
5:26:09working, so nobody asked questions.
5:26:12You know, I never expected to be the one
5:26:14to be compatible with the serum. My
5:26:17older sister was always the one who was
5:26:19good at everything, the gifted child who
5:26:21could do no wrong. At least she was
5:26:24until she ran off with her boyfriend a
5:26:26little over a year ago. She laughed.
5:26:30Oilia smiled at some memory and nodded
5:26:32in agreement. You know, I always used to
5:26:35be so certain that I would become a
5:26:37powerful mage. I could see it. My whole
5:26:40future as an idol, singing and showing
5:26:43off my magic.
5:26:45Imagine my shock when I was actually an
5:26:47elite, but I became a berserker. Dana
5:26:50laughed. Honestly, your dream is my
5:26:53nightmare. I hate being in the spotlight
5:26:56or having people staring at me. But the
5:26:59moment that I got to the academy, they
5:27:01decided that I had that girl nextdoor
5:27:03look and a voice that they wanted for
5:27:05the next round of idols. So I got
5:27:07shunted off into the idol training
5:27:08courses despite my protests.
5:27:11Oilia frowned for a second. You know, we
5:27:14don't have many female bards at the
5:27:16academy. Just Sheamus and a bunch of
5:27:19horny bards who want to use their music
5:27:21to pick up girls. The group sat and
5:27:24joked for most of the afternoon as the
5:27:26three clerics finished repairing
5:27:28everyone's armor, including the mangled
5:27:30remains of Carl's original suit. It had
5:27:33better buffs on it than the new gear
5:27:34did, but it didn't have the advantage of
5:27:36comfort or being able to be worn under
5:27:38normal clothing. Eventually, the clerics
5:27:41moved from fixing gear to cooking
5:27:43dinner. This was their horribly
5:27:45overworked day, and Carl hoped that they
5:27:48could at least get a day off afterwards.
5:27:50It was the great downfall of being
5:27:52indispensable.
5:27:54Everyone needed you for something. And
5:27:56on days like today, someone needed you
5:27:58for everything. But on the bright side,
5:28:01nobody came to bother them as they ate
5:28:03and relaxed after dinner until it
5:28:05started to get dark. And Morgana sighed
5:28:07while looking out the door. If you would
5:28:10like to stay the night, we can hang
5:28:11extra hammocks for you. We have plenty,
5:28:14so you can stay here the night. Carl
5:28:17offered. They also had extra blankets
5:28:20from their time on the frost giant
5:28:22front, so they weren't short on sleeping
5:28:24gear. Doug nodded happily, and Bob
5:28:27shrugged. "We might as well since we're
5:28:30already here. I can make a cute fuzzy
5:28:32blanket for our resident princess if she
5:28:34needs." Doug teased. Morgana's hand
5:28:38glowed with black magic, and the nature
5:28:41cleric just laughed harder. "All right,
5:28:43we need to hear this story. What is it
5:28:46between you three? Carl insisted.
5:28:50Bob patted Doug on the shoulder and
5:28:52gestured to Morgana.
5:28:54She can tell the story and we will fill
5:28:56in the gaps. Morgana sideighed. I can
5:29:00see that letting them tell it would be a
5:29:02mistake. It was my second mission after
5:29:05a single day resource gathering trip. I
5:29:08got paired with these three idiots and
5:29:10two horny morons from my magic combat
5:29:12class. I grew up in government employee
5:29:15housing in the capital. I had never been
5:29:17in the wilderness before. I just loved
5:29:20plants and potions.
5:29:22But from the first hour, they were
5:29:24making fun of me. Doug cut in as she
5:29:27paused. You should have seen her. She
5:29:31was smaller than Lotus, and she kept
5:29:33getting lost as she went to look at
5:29:34flowers. Morgana glared at him, and Doug
5:29:38made a zipping motion over his lips to
5:29:40let her continue.
5:29:41We were out for 3 days and all four of
5:29:44them teased me relentlessly.
5:29:46I didn't know how cold it was going to
5:29:48get in the forest, so I had packed my
5:29:50lucky blanket from my room, a black
5:29:52fuzzy blanket. That's what Doug was
5:29:55referring to. He called me princess for
5:29:58the entire trip. She paused, likely
5:30:01intending to finish it there, but Doug
5:30:03wasn't done. Tell them about the next
5:30:06time as well. Why do they need to know
5:30:08that? she replied suspiciously.
5:30:12Because if you don't tell them, I'm
5:30:13going to. Morgana sighed. Fine. The
5:30:18second time we went out, we deployed by
5:30:21train and the train was attacked. It
5:30:24wasn't major, but I lost my pack. In
5:30:27fact, all of the students did. We had
5:30:30put our packs in the baggage car while
5:30:32we went for lunch. Hey, I see that
5:30:35judging look. We didn't know any better
5:30:38and nobody warned us. Well, the baggage
5:30:41car took a direct hit from a griffin and
5:30:44all of our gear was lost.
5:30:46So, the only ones who had any gear were
5:30:48Bob and Doug while the rest of us had
5:30:50nothing. My class basically relies on
5:30:53potions, especially in the early stages.
5:30:57I didn't have a single attack spell that
5:30:59didn't require a reagent of some sort,
5:31:01and now I didn't have a tent or a ride
5:31:03home to the academy. It sucked. and I
5:31:06didn't want to be there. But we had to
5:31:08walk back to the academy as the tracks
5:31:11were damaged and we were under a 100 km
5:31:13away. But that part was all right. We
5:31:16even managed to find some of the
5:31:18resources we came for on our way back
5:31:20the first day. At dark, Doug made two
5:31:23tents with his magic. We drew lots to
5:31:26see who had watched and I got first
5:31:28shift. At that point, I didn't have any
5:31:31of these tattoos. It was the catalyst
5:31:33that made me decide to do something
5:31:35permanent to improve my abilities as an
5:31:37elite. I was exhausted by the time the
5:31:40shift ended, and we had been instructed
5:31:42to keep the fire low, but burning, so it
5:31:44didn't go out before morning. At the
5:31:47time, I wore thick glasses, and I
5:31:49couldn't see much of anything in the
5:31:50dark, but the ones on watch were all
5:31:52sleeping by the fire, so I woke my
5:31:54replacement for his shift, and then went
5:31:56to the girl's tent to sleep. Dana
5:31:59facebombed and Oilia laughed knowing
5:32:01exactly where this was going. That's
5:32:04right. She got the wrong tent and
5:32:07because she was exhausted, she just
5:32:09climbed into the bed closest to the door
5:32:11and went to sleep. Doug interjected.
5:32:14Which one of you? Dana asked while Lotus
5:32:18turned away from the conversation.
5:32:20It couldn't hide the shaking shoulders
5:32:22or faint sound of her stifled laughter,
5:32:24though. Me, of course.
5:32:27I always sleep next to the door in case
5:32:30there is an attack and someone needs
5:32:32healing. But more importantly, did you
5:32:34know that our princess prefers to sleep
5:32:36naked? Doug replied.
5:32:39Morgana did actually attack him this
5:32:41time. A bolt of black magic that Doug
5:32:44caught with a handkerchief that turned
5:32:45to ash instantly. Then she slapped Bob
5:32:48in the face when he tried to wake her up
5:32:50in the morning and buried herself under
5:32:52my hass for warmth. Doug continued with
5:32:55tears rolling down his face. Morgana
5:32:58gave a defeated sigh. And now everyone
5:33:01knows the shameful reason I can't stand
5:33:03these two leerous brothers. And the
5:33:06reason she never wanted to leave her
5:33:07balcony room, Carl suspected the boys in
5:33:11the group would not have quickly
5:33:12forgotten that story. And given their
5:33:14usual assumptions, it was likely to have
5:33:17given her a rather unfortunate
5:33:18reputation among her classmates.
5:33:21That is unfortunate.
5:33:23Oilia stammered. And that was before she
5:33:26cursed me with misfortune.
5:33:29Doug agreed. Every day for a month until
5:33:33he came to the academy to apologize to
5:33:35her in person and the teachers made her
5:33:37stop. Bob added. Morgana glared at Carl.
5:33:42You are suspiciously silent. There is
5:33:45nothing I can say at this moment that
5:33:47will not make the situation worse.
5:33:50Oh, if you had to say something, what
5:33:53would it be? She asked. And all the
5:33:56women turned to Carl to see what he
5:33:57could come up with to calm the angry
5:33:59witch doctor. Well, Doug is kind of
5:34:02hairy, so at least you were warm right
5:34:05now. Morgana's ebony skin didn't really
5:34:07allow her to blush, but if Carl had to
5:34:10guess, she would be red from ear to ear
5:34:12if she were as pale as Dana. Doug puffed
5:34:15up his chest. The only one here who can
5:34:18beat me in the chest hair department is
5:34:19Oilia, and she has to transform to do
5:34:22it. Morgana snapped her attention to
5:34:24him. You're not supposed to be proud of
5:34:27that, you idiot. Tessa quickly changed
5:34:30the topic away from Doug's prodigious
5:34:32cops of chest hair and motioned for Ry
5:34:34to make more hammocks in the empty room.
5:34:37Everyone was gathered in the living room
5:34:39with everyone but the clerics and Carl
5:34:41sitting in the swinging chairs, so there
5:34:43was no need to move as Ray got to work
5:34:45making the expanded sleeping
5:34:47arrangements.
5:34:48Carl couldn't help but notice that there
5:34:50were black fuzzy blankets on all three
5:34:52hammocks, but he didn't say anything as
5:34:54they all prepared for bed. The fort had
5:34:57a nightlight, but it was better not to
5:34:59stay up too much past dark in case there
5:35:01was an attack first thing in the
5:35:02morning. Tessa gestured to the back
5:35:05where the shower bag was set up in its
5:35:07own curtained room. Men can shower
5:35:10first. Carl, who is on watch tonight?
5:35:14Carl gestured upwards.
5:35:16Hawk is in a nest in the tree, pondering
5:35:18the mysteries of the universe. He's
5:35:21trying to understand something about the
5:35:23advancement to royal rank and thought it
5:35:25was better to be outdoors.
5:35:27All right, say good night to everyone
5:35:29for me. Thor made a happy noise in his
5:35:32spot, knowing that she was talking about
5:35:34him, and then settled back into his pond
5:35:36to sleep. Carl meditated in his hammock
5:35:39for most of the evening, taking in all
5:35:41the new knowledge about his companions,
5:35:43as well as the newfound understanding
5:35:45that half of the conflict between the
5:35:47McKenzie brothers and Morgana was
5:35:48actually just embarrassment.
5:35:51It might have been sexual tension, but
5:35:53Carl was fairly certain that should have
5:35:55faded by now. It had been 2 years after
5:35:58all. First thing the next morning, they
5:36:01were all headed for the mess hall for
5:36:03breakfast. And Carl noticed that Morgana
5:36:05was sneaking looks at Doug, who had the
5:36:07laces at the neck of his robes a bit
5:36:09looser than usual to show off just a bit
5:36:11of chest. If this was flirting, perhaps
5:36:14Carl was doing it all wrong. Or maybe
5:36:17they were somehow worse at it than he
5:36:19was. The students in the mess hall all
5:36:22looked exhausted, though Carl didn't
5:36:24recall most of them having gone to the
5:36:25line yesterday. "Long night?" he asked a
5:36:29boy at the next table as he sat down.
5:36:32The boy nodded grimly.
5:36:34Yeah, nobody slept well until the walls
5:36:37were all disenchanted and torn down.
5:36:40There was some talk of making our own,
5:36:41but the hill giants have better earth
5:36:43magic than we do, so there was a chance
5:36:45they would turn it against us if we used
5:36:47their specialty as our fortifications.
5:36:50The boy beside him chuckled. I guess
5:36:53your group didn't have that issue. You
5:36:55all looked half dead when you returned
5:36:57past the lines. Did you manage to get
5:37:00all your gear repaired? Carl shook his
5:37:03head. Most of it is fixed, and at least
5:37:06the group of us here managed to find
5:37:08spares among the loot we grabbed from
5:37:09the giants, but our primary gear still
5:37:12needs some work. From the next table
5:37:14over, an equally exhausted looking young
5:37:17man nodded. We've got about 8 hours
5:37:19worth of work before we will have
5:37:21everyone's armor back to them after the
5:37:23battle yesterday.
5:37:24I'm just hoping that we won't have
5:37:26another attack today because the repair
5:37:28teams can't take that again. There were
5:37:30only three dozen of you and there was so
5:37:33much work and at a priority rush plus
5:37:35what they turned over was mostly
5:37:37commander rank gear which is so much
5:37:39harder to repair than the awaken stuff
5:37:41that most of the army has. I take it
5:37:44that the repair difficulty is based on
5:37:45how powerful the one doing the repair
5:37:47is. Carl asked the tech nodded. Yeah,
5:37:53repairing above your rank takes about
5:37:54three times as long for every rank. It's
5:37:58still possible, but you need to put a
5:38:00huge amount of work into it for the
5:38:01magical repairs to take, and there is a
5:38:03chance the ability will only be
5:38:05partially successful. If it's really
5:38:08bad, we send it to the forges first and
5:38:10have them do most of the patches before
5:38:12we start with the abilities to blend it
5:38:14and fix the enchantments.
5:38:16That's the downfall to getting good gear
5:38:18in advance. Even if you've got it, you
5:38:21usually need someone to repair it for
5:38:23you. And if you're paying the shops,
5:38:25that gets expensive.
5:38:27At least here on the lines, it's free.
5:38:30Everyone who filed in for breakfast
5:38:32after that looked similarly bedraggled,
5:38:34and it was obvious that his team were
5:38:35the only ones who didn't take the
5:38:37warning about the dangers of the
5:38:38attacking force all that seriously.
5:38:41Now, part of that was Hawk scouting
5:38:43telling him what was actually there. But
5:38:45Carl could see that in the eyes of the
5:38:47other elites, there was a somewhat
5:38:48concerning level of confidence behind
5:38:50his actions. And Carl was reminded of
5:38:52Tank telling him that his thinking was
5:38:54being influenced.
5:38:56Don't worry about it too much. Look at
5:38:59all the ones who weren't brave enough to
5:39:00go even when we won so easily. It's not
5:39:04a loss to forget to be stupid and
5:39:06cowardly.
5:39:07Rey reminded him helpfully. She made an
5:39:10excellent point. It was no loss to get
5:39:13rid of aspects of his personality that
5:39:15didn't serve any purpose. Today was
5:39:18supposed to be Carl's team's off day
5:39:20anyhow, as they had the afternoon shift
5:39:22the day before, so they all ate slowly
5:39:24and chatted with the teams who were
5:39:26coming through to eat. There were no
5:39:28signs of the Hill Giants coming back
5:39:30yet, but that wasn't too surprising
5:39:32given their recent patterns. An hour
5:39:35after breakfast ended, they were still
5:39:37sitting around the camp using an empty
5:39:39teaching tent as a meeting room.
5:39:41That was when the 10 redroed spellblades
5:39:44came in, clearly looking for them. Ah,
5:39:47good. We were hoping to see you all
5:39:50before we left. Thank you for the
5:39:52assistance in dealing with the traitor
5:39:54forces. I'm sure you all know already
5:39:57that this issue is confidential and
5:39:59shouldn't make it into your official
5:40:00reports. At the very least, not the
5:40:03nature of the Titan clerics that were
5:40:05defeated. If the public thinks that they
5:40:08were hill giants, that is fine. the
5:40:11leader of the group informed them. Carl
5:40:14nodded. I suspected that might be the
5:40:16case. None of us have started our
5:40:19reports yet, so there won't be any
5:40:21issues when we do turn them in. Don't
5:40:24worry too much about the reports. Keep
5:40:26them simple, and the defense department
5:40:28will take care of the rest. The leader
5:40:31of the Spellblades shrugged. That made
5:40:34sense.
5:40:35All these reports were most likely going
5:40:37to vanish anyhow in case someone let
5:40:39slip a detail that insinuated that
5:40:41someone from the church had changed
5:40:43patrons and gone over to the hill giants
5:40:45to hunt their own people. We might as
5:40:47well write those now. Did you all still
5:40:50need to write? There is paper on the
5:40:53shelf. Morgana offered. The spellblade
5:40:57shrugged. We might as well. We talked to
5:41:01the others about the situation already,
5:41:03and they've all turned in their reports
5:41:04on the mission. They used clerics of the
5:41:07Titan gods as the code for the special
5:41:09team we encountered. That should be
5:41:12clear enough for everyone to understand.
5:41:15Simple, safe, and efficient. There were
5:41:18plenty of Titan god clerics among the
5:41:20giants. Oddly, they didn't seem to
5:41:23specialize in healing, but in physical
5:41:25power enhancement and regeneration, as
5:41:27Carl understood it. But the giants
5:41:30regenerated more like beasts than
5:41:32humans. So enhancing their natural
5:41:34abilities might be more effective. There
5:41:37was far too much that he didn't actually
5:41:39understand about the giants, even if he
5:41:41was getting pretty good at killing them.
5:41:43Once the reports were finished, the
5:41:45Spellblade clan gathered them and put
5:41:47them into a folder to turn over to the
5:41:49regional command group. "All right, that
5:41:52is done. What time do you have to be on
5:41:54the line?" the head of the Spellblades
5:41:57asked. We're on our day off today. We
5:42:01just decided to come relax around the
5:42:03others, so we didn't have as far to go
5:42:05if there was an alarm. Our sleeping spot
5:42:08is outside the main camp by a few dozen
5:42:10meters," Carl explained. The spellblade
5:42:14nodded, and Carl heard his armor shift
5:42:16under his robes. "Did you have any
5:42:19connection to the Divine Beast Nation?"
5:42:21I wouldn't be shocked if they had taken
5:42:23some interest in an elite with your
5:42:25particular skills. He asked. Carl shook
5:42:29his head. I've never been out that way.
5:42:33Two of my beasts came from down south in
5:42:35the wilds, though. Now that is
5:42:38interesting. What made you choose to go
5:42:40south for beasts instead of trying to
5:42:42appeal to the divine beast nation for
5:42:44fast power? They might have been able to
5:42:47get you a cub of a powerful divine
5:42:49beast. Carl shook his head. Bonding a
5:42:53beast above my rank won't work well. If
5:42:56I had gone there at the start and gotten
5:42:58a beast like Remy, who was born ascended
5:43:00when I was common grade, it might have
5:43:02killed us both. One rank ahead of my own
5:43:05growth should be fine at this point. But
5:43:07two or three ranks would be suicide.
5:43:10If I went there now and they were to
5:43:12present a beast that is born royal or
5:43:14monarch rank, I might be all right for a
5:43:16bit. But I don't know if I could adapt
5:43:18fast enough for their growth rate. But
5:43:21more importantly, I would owe the Divine
5:43:23Beasts a favor. The Bureau of Elite
5:43:26Development took me south, and I believe
5:43:28that we've mostly squared up on debts
5:43:29these days. The Spellblade almost choked
5:43:32when Carl finished speaking. A beast
5:43:35born at the royal rank. If that's your
5:43:38goal, you must be expecting your class
5:43:40to carry you to the peak of Overlord
5:43:42along with them. But even most of the
5:43:44great dragons aren't born above
5:43:46commander rank. They grow into their
5:43:48power over an extended time. The mage
5:43:51laughed. Carl shrugged. A man can dream.
5:43:56But if you don't mind, I have a question
5:43:58for you as well. When did you get here?
5:44:02I don't recall there being any
5:44:03spellblades in the academy camp during
5:44:05the days before the battle. The red
5:44:08robed leader chuckled. And officially,
5:44:11we weren't here at all.
5:44:13We arrived during the fight after
5:44:15military intelligence gave us the
5:44:17location of our targets. We didn't know
5:44:20that they had been forcibly advanced
5:44:22though. That was an unpleasant surprise.
5:44:25But all is well that ends well. They
5:44:28were eliminated and by tomorrow we will
5:44:30be off on another mission. So military
5:44:34intelligence knew that they were here.
5:44:36Morgana asked quietly.
5:44:39for nearly two hours. They were cited by
5:44:42a spy drone at high altitude. If they
5:44:45had been a bit more discreet, we would
5:44:47have only suspected, but they didn't
5:44:49even bother to take off the church's
5:44:50defensive warded taberts, so the drone
5:44:53spotted them right away. Bunch of
5:44:55idiots. Carl looked down at the stack of
5:44:58papers.
5:45:00Wait, shouldn't we edit those? Because
5:45:03if that was 10 royal rank hill giant
5:45:05clerics, they would probably still be
5:45:07beating our faces for sport. 10 forcibly
5:45:10advanced humans doesn't really measure
5:45:12up to the same number of well-trained
5:45:14hill giants. The spellblade shook his
5:45:17head. No, it's important that the number
5:45:20be correct because they are looking for
5:45:21it for verification of mission
5:45:23completion.
5:45:24That's how they will know that we
5:45:26actually eliminated them all. And I do
5:45:29hope that was all of them because if
5:45:30they had time to stabilize and learn
5:45:32some of the special combat techniques of
5:45:34the Titan gods, they would have been
5:45:36much more difficult to fight. The
5:45:38Spellblades headed out to do whatever
5:45:40they needed for the afternoon, perhaps
5:45:42to be relocated to another hot spot, and
5:45:44Carl's team retreated to the tent, still
5:45:47up three more members as Morgana and the
5:45:49McKenzie brothers followed them. What is
5:45:52the plan for the afternoon? Meditation
5:45:55and spell study? Morgana asked as it was
5:45:58a day off from training. Carl nodded.
5:46:02That's the plan for me. I think that
5:46:05with a bit more work, I can let Ray
5:46:07advance to royal rank. Once she makes
5:46:10it, it will only be a matter of time
5:46:12until the rest of us do. Rey was certain
5:46:15that she was already very close to
5:46:17breaking through, and she just needed a
5:46:19bit more time. The extra energy from the
5:46:22fight was enough for her to complete her
5:46:23change. It was just a matter of time
5:46:25now.
5:46:27Is there something that you're still
5:46:28working on before you advance?
5:46:30Carl asked, wondering if there was
5:46:32something that he could do to help.
5:46:35Nope. I've got the skills. I know what
5:46:38to do now. I'm just waiting for my body
5:46:40to adapt. What I really need is a better
5:46:43catchphrase.
5:46:45Why do you need a catchphrase at all?
5:46:47You can't just kill people without a
5:46:49catchphrase.
5:46:51Otherwise, how would anyone know how
5:46:53great you are? The stab holes from your
5:46:56legs are already pretty distinctive.
5:46:58Even Tessa knew right away that it was
5:47:00you the moment that she saw one of your
5:47:02wounds on an armor plate. If you want to
5:47:05leave a calling card, I would say that
5:47:07you already do. And anyone who knows you
5:47:09would know that those were your kills.
5:47:11But even if they don't know that it is
5:47:13you, they would recognize your kills if
5:47:15they saw them again. Rey considered that
5:47:18fact. Her legs weren't really shaped
5:47:21like any sword she had ever seen. So,
5:47:24the puncture wounds were pretty
5:47:25distinctive, even if the tearing wounds
5:47:27were just gruesome and
5:47:28indistinguishable.
5:47:30That was the secret. Rey decided she was
5:47:33having too much fun tearing them apart
5:47:35and she wasn't leaving a distinctive
5:47:37stab mark so people knew it was her
5:47:39kill. But if she went back after the
5:47:42battle and stabbed them all, it would
5:47:44feel like cheating. That was it. She
5:47:47could just step on the bodies as she
5:47:48passed by and give them one distinct
5:47:50puncture wound so that someone could
5:47:52keep count of the kills for her when
5:47:54they cleaned the battlefield later. That
5:47:56was brilliant, and she wondered why she
5:47:58didn't think of it earlier. It didn't
5:48:01need to be a damaging wound, just
5:48:03something visible so that it would be
5:48:04recognized after the battle. That final
5:48:07mental distraction seemed to be the last
5:48:09thing holding her back, and Carl felt
5:48:11Ray's power beginning to progress once
5:48:13her mind was at ease. Perhaps a sense of
5:48:16self, knowing who you were and what your
5:48:19place in the world was, might be
5:48:20essential to the breaking of the royal
5:48:22rank bottleneck.
5:48:24That would explain why it was easier for
5:48:26beasts. They knew their place in the
5:48:29world. They didn't have self-doubt about
5:48:30their own reality, their abilities, or
5:48:33their future. They simply were, and that
5:48:36was enough for them. Hawk laughed at
5:48:38Carl's moment of introspection.
5:48:41You're overthinking it. Rey just wants
5:48:44people to know that she's the greatest
5:48:45without actually having to interact with
5:48:47strangers in the daylight. Even Rey
5:48:50couldn't argue with that logic, but Carl
5:48:52suspected that they could both be right.
5:48:55After all, Rey didn't doubt her place in
5:48:57the world, only if anyone had noticed
5:48:59how glorious it was, which led to
5:49:02thoughts on ways to ensure they
5:49:04appreciated her glorious carnage.
5:49:06Rey's real concern was not how to make
5:49:09sure that everyone knew which kills were
5:49:10hers. That was already fairly obvious to
5:49:13everyone. What was really weighing on
5:49:15her mind was the fact that she was about
5:49:17to become royal rank, and she didn't
5:49:19feel impressive enough. She was a
5:49:22goddess of the night, a divine blessing
5:49:24come to reap the tasty and unwary.
5:49:27But soon she would be a legitimate
5:49:29princess, and her only real skills were
5:49:31stabbing and making things that stabbed
5:49:33for her. How could a princess of the
5:49:36bloodbath spider species only be good
5:49:38for assassination? Wasn't that just too
5:49:41sad? If she couldn't even do something
5:49:43cool, wouldn't she be no better than a
5:49:45giant? She had stabbed thousands of
5:49:48giants to death. But Ry suspected that
5:49:50the humans didn't fully appreciate how
5:49:52much of a difference existed between an
5:49:54elegant being such as her and some
5:49:56stupid giant. She was so lost in despair
5:49:59that her abilities weren't visually
5:50:01impressive that she almost missed the
5:50:02fact that she already had the answer.
5:50:05She had been watching the humans all her
5:50:07life and there was no way that she
5:50:09couldn't learn the basics of their
5:50:10skills. No human could be as smart as
5:50:13her. Not even her Carl was immune to her
5:50:16trickery. What she needed to do was
5:50:19focus on the learning skill and a person
5:50:21with a cool ability. There were
5:50:23countless cool abilities and really
5:50:26flashy ones.
5:50:27Remy had gotten an overdose of luck on
5:50:29that front and all her abilities were
5:50:32flashy, but none of them were really
5:50:34appealing to Rey. She wanted something
5:50:37that people would associate with her.
5:50:40Then she recalled a skill she kept
5:50:41seeing the commander rank rogues using.
5:50:44They just vanished into a shadow and
5:50:46appeared somewhere else to attack. It
5:50:49didn't seem to go far, but she could
5:50:51totally learn that shadows were her
5:50:54element.
5:50:55So Ry sneaked out to observe the rogues
5:50:58practicing, reveling in the fact that
5:51:00half the camp didn't even see her
5:51:01passing by them. Of course, a huge
5:51:04spider sitting at the edge of the
5:51:06training area in the middle of the
5:51:07afternoon wasn't exactly stealthy, even
5:51:10if she blended with her surroundings
5:51:11exceptionally well. So the most powerful
5:51:15rogues knew that she was watching them
5:51:17and wondered what she was doing.
5:51:19Then, when the sun shifted and moved her
5:51:21into the shadows, the bloodbath spider
5:51:23vanished, only to appear behind one of
5:51:25the professors and rub a mandible
5:51:27against the back of his neck before
5:51:29making a quarter turn and vanishing
5:51:30again. "Did we just accidentally teach a
5:51:33bloodbath spider to Shadow Step?" One of
5:51:36the students asked as the teacher stood
5:51:38frozen in horror. We totally did. Holy
5:51:43that is terrifying.
5:51:45I'm glad we're not Professor Fingers
5:51:47right now. Another rogue agreed. She was
5:51:51terrifying enough before. Did you know
5:51:54that she can see in absolute darkness,
5:51:56track you by noise, and she has built-in
5:51:58thermal imaging? It's basically
5:52:01impossible to hide from her. Now she can
5:52:04shadow step, so she can just appear
5:52:06anywhere and attack. That's just
5:52:09disgustingly unfair.
5:52:11One of the boys that Rey had embarrassed
5:52:13in class ranted. Rey, who was hiding in
5:52:16a tree nearby, waiting to see how long
5:52:19it took someone to find her, pined at
5:52:21the praise for her skills. That was what
5:52:24she wanted to hear. Her new skill was
5:52:26called disgustingly unfair.
5:52:29That was perfect. With that settled, she
5:52:32returned to her space for the evening
5:52:34and worked on adapting her shell so she
5:52:36could be a proper royal rank bloodbath
5:52:38spider. She had been neglecting her skin
5:52:41care routine, but tonight she had
5:52:43brought out all the good stuff. She had
5:52:46a scrubber made from moss in Thor's
5:52:48space and a bath full of royal rank
5:52:50blood, both human and giant. She had
5:52:53ground up a number of stones that seemed
5:52:55like they were beneficial to her to mix
5:52:57into her scrubber, and she was ready for
5:52:59a long night and for self-care.
5:53:02Thor approved to this method of
5:53:03advancement. His pool was comfortable
5:53:06and soaked him with holy energy
5:53:07constantly.
5:53:09He would make it to royal rank
5:53:10eventually, he was certain. For now, he
5:53:14was more focused on his endurance. The
5:53:17more recent fights have been exhausting,
5:53:19trying to shield a whole bunch of people
5:53:21at one time while fighting and working
5:53:23on his own defense with circle of
5:53:25protection active. Normally, a lightning
5:53:28seropac would all have their own
5:53:30barriers, so he wouldn't need to extend
5:53:32them over everyone. But Carl was the
5:53:35only one who could do it. And he
5:53:36couldn't extend it the way that Thor
5:53:38could. So he had to work on his stamina
5:53:41if he was going to keep up his position
5:53:43in this growing pack. From what Thor
5:53:45instinctively knew, the stronger a
5:53:47leader, the larger the pack. So when Ry
5:53:51reached royal rank and the rest of them
5:53:53began to advance, the humans would bring
5:53:55more people for their pack. When the
5:53:58herd was small and without a powerful
5:54:00leader, they needed as many bodies as
5:54:02they could get.
5:54:03Then as they grew up, they would start a
5:54:05small pack that they could protect. But
5:54:08as they started to get more powerful,
5:54:10they would attract more young members
5:54:12who needed safety to form a powerful
5:54:14herd. That's the point in the cycle of
5:54:16pack growth that they were at now. Once
5:54:19they reached royal rank, everyone would
5:54:21know that Carl's pack could protect
5:54:23them, so they would flock to him. It was
5:54:26inevitable in Thor's mind, and he just
5:54:28needed to make sure that he could
5:54:29protect them all since he was the pack's
5:54:31defender.
5:54:32That made Thor wonder if he was second
5:54:34in command. In a ser pack, the guardian
5:54:38was the strongest warrior other than the
5:54:40pack leader, and he defended the weak
5:54:42while the leader and the rest of the
5:54:43strong fighters chased off the threats.
5:54:46Some herd animals would just run and
5:54:48save as many as they could while the
5:54:50predators picked off the weak and the
5:54:52young. But the lightning ser,
5:54:57they could heal broken bones in a day or
5:54:59two. They weren't a crippling injury
5:55:00like they were to many animals.
5:55:03Secondly, they had powerful horns and
5:55:05tails. If they defended in a group, they
5:55:08could save more of their own than if
5:55:10they ran. If there was a lightning sero
5:55:13who got too old and too injured to heal,
5:55:15and they were dragging the pack down,
5:55:17they would lead the charge during the
5:55:19next attack. That way, they could help
5:55:22the pack one last time, and the predator
5:55:24would get what it came for and leave the
5:55:26others. Only an insane predator
5:55:28continued the fight once it had its
5:55:30food. He didn't think that humans
5:55:32operated like that. He had already met a
5:55:35number of useless human pack members and
5:55:37troublemakers that should have been left
5:55:39for a predator by their packs. Hawk
5:55:42considered putting in an opinion on the
5:55:43topic, but it was better to just watch
5:55:45Ry and take notes in case she came up
5:55:47with something that would help him. It
5:55:50wouldn't be long before he was going to
5:55:51be advancing as well, so he needed to
5:55:53prepare in advance.
5:55:55All evening, Ry soaked in her bath,
5:55:58periodically scrubbing herself against
5:56:00the walls of the tub that she had lined
5:56:02with ground gems and moss. She was
5:56:04polishing off the outer layer of her
5:56:06kitan and sharpening her legs. That was
5:56:09general maintenance for a blood bath
5:56:11spider, and she had been neglecting it
5:56:13for some time. But now that she was
5:56:15about to advance, she had to look her
5:56:17very best. She couldn't have flaws and
5:56:20imperfections marring her beauty when
5:56:21she made her first appearance as a royal
5:56:23rank beast.
5:56:25She was pulling in the blood from the
5:56:26pool and holding it in her mouth to let
5:56:28the nutrients soak through the membranes
5:56:30of her cheeks, pulling the energy and
5:56:32essence from it, then spitting the
5:56:34drained blood to the side of her pool so
5:56:36she didn't have to swallow it and feel
5:56:37all bloated from overeating. The
5:56:40absorbed blood infusion was slowly
5:56:42transforming the energy in her body,
5:56:44following the instincts of a blood bath
5:56:46spider. And while Carl was sleeping, she
5:56:48was making great progress. Her size
5:56:51wasn't changing. She was already full
5:56:53grown, but the density of her kitan had
5:56:55skyrocketed, and the energy of her body
5:56:58was taking on aspects of the primarily
5:57:00hill giant blood she had used. There
5:57:02wasn't much of a choice for royal rank.
5:57:05She only had blood from one frost giant
5:57:07and a bunch of humans other than what
5:57:09she had gotten from the hill giants. The
5:57:12humans didn't hold much, and the frost
5:57:14giant blood was cold and blue. That did
5:57:17not sound like a pleasant bath at all,
5:57:19so she had skipped it. However, a
5:57:22bloodbath spider held significantly less
5:57:24blood than a hill giant did, so she had
5:57:26plenty left over even after her bath was
5:57:28done, and she had polished herself clean
5:57:30again, ready to present her advancement
5:57:32to the others. Carl's mental spaces were
5:57:35shifting their power as he slept,
5:57:37spreading the focused energy from all
5:57:39the spaces into rays on their own to
5:57:41adapt to the standard that her body now
5:57:42demanded. Nobody minded. Carl could fix
5:57:46it in the morning and it was giving them
5:57:48all ideas on how their own advancement
5:57:50was supposed to go. Hulk was pretty
5:57:52certain that Ry had the right idea. Even
5:57:55if you feel the pull to advance, as he
5:57:57was beginning to, you needed to find a
5:57:59cool new skill to learn. Advancement
5:58:02made it much easier to learn a new
5:58:04ability. And he didn't want to leave it
5:58:06to chance. He wanted the demoted
5:58:07commander flame golem things, but as
5:58:10birds. That shouldn't be hard. He
5:58:13already knew how to make fireballs of
5:58:15many kinds. And Ry could make golems,
5:58:18which he had been watching constantly.
5:58:20If he combined them, he should be able
5:58:22to have firebirds.
5:58:24But actually making golems out of the
5:58:26flames was proving elusive. He should
5:58:29understand it. He had seen it so many
5:58:31times. But no matter what he was trying,
5:58:34they just weren't sticking around as
5:58:36birds. He could make very effective
5:58:39self-targeting bombs, but not proper
5:58:41golems.
5:58:43So Hawk changed his tactic. If his fiery
5:58:46creations didn't want to stick around,
5:58:48he just needed to make them more
5:58:50effective while they were present.
5:58:52Instead of flying around the elites
5:58:54looking for ideas, he headed to the
5:58:56artillery lines looking for clues on how
5:58:58more effective explosions should work.
5:59:01That was all the artillery did. It flew
5:59:03over and blew up. That was what he
5:59:06wanted out of his dive bombers. So Hawk
5:59:08spent most of the night watching them
5:59:10work.
5:59:11It proved mostly useless as the
5:59:13artillery projectiles weren't as
5:59:15impressive as his fire. But he did get
5:59:17some insights into the ways that the
5:59:19dive bombers should explode for maximum
5:59:21effect. The sense that something was
5:59:23wrong within his mind as Ray's space
5:59:25tried to pull more than the other spaces
5:59:27had to spare woke Carl up before dawn.
5:59:30With few other options, he began to
5:59:32meditate, focusing on the flame in the
5:59:34void of his mind to pull as much energy
5:59:36into his body as he could, feeding it
5:59:38all to Rey. While he drew energy from
5:59:41outside, the vampiric blade was donating
5:59:44some of its stored energy, though most
5:59:45of it had already been used to bolster
5:59:47the spaces during the past few days. The
5:59:50changing beast space was happily drawing
5:59:52everything that Carl could give it, and
5:59:54Ray's sleeping form was beginning to
5:59:56shimmer with black energy as her
5:59:58progression finished, and she fully
5:59:59integrated the power she had absorbed.
6:00:02Normally, she would have been in the
6:00:04equivalent of a food coma for a few days
6:00:06after her advancement. But with Carl's
6:00:08help, she was beginning to stir before
6:00:10the sun was fully over the horizon. "How
6:00:13is your day going, Ry?" Carl asked as
6:00:16the spider began to move about, shaking
6:00:19her web to ensure everything was where
6:00:20she left it. "Did you realize that hill
6:00:23giants can make their own portable
6:00:25shadows?" she replied.
6:00:28Carl thought about that for a moment,
6:00:30but had no idea what she was talking
6:00:32about. I will show everyone when they're
6:00:35awake. We've got a shift on the line
6:00:37this morning, right? Rey asked. Yeah,
6:00:42right after breakfast. I'm sure they'll
6:00:44all be super excited to see your new
6:00:46abilities.
6:00:48Congratulations on the advancement.
6:00:50You found out this fast, Ry pouted. It
6:00:55woke me up so that I could add energy.
6:00:57Instead, letting you sleep for days to
6:00:59finish the process. Carl explained. Ry
6:01:03nodded her head. It would never do to
6:01:06sleep for days. What if something
6:01:08happened? I could miss a chance to show
6:01:11off. But that hill giant blood was a
6:01:14great bath. We should find a monarch
6:01:16rank hill giant so I can have one even
6:01:18better. I learned all sorts of things
6:01:21from advancing that way. Carl wondered
6:01:24how much you could learn by bathing in
6:01:25blood. But given her name, there might
6:01:28actually be some connection between that
6:01:29and her ability to gain new skills. Carl
6:01:33was the first one up, so he changed into
6:01:35his commander rank suit with the new set
6:01:37of armor underneath, then headed to make
6:01:39the first pot of morning coffee and wait
6:01:41in the living room for the others. The
6:01:43first ones up were Doug and Morgana, who
6:01:45both stopped to stare at Carl as they
6:01:47entered the room. There's still most of
6:01:50a fresh pot on the counter.
6:01:52He greeted the early risers.
6:01:55There's something off about you this
6:01:56morning. Doug noted. Morgana inspected
6:02:00Carl and gave Doug a suspicious look
6:02:02when she couldn't detect what it was
6:02:04that he was noticing. Doug poured two
6:02:07coffees and passed one to Morgana before
6:02:09lighting a smoke. "Have you figured out
6:02:12what it is yet? Is it bothering you that
6:02:14you don't know?" he asked. "I swear you
6:02:18just like my annoyed expression. I will
6:02:21figure it out soon. There is something,
6:02:24but I just can't tell what has changed
6:02:26about his presence. He's still a
6:02:28commander, so it's not an advancement.
6:02:31Morgana replied as she sipped her
6:02:33coffee. One by one, the others filed in,
6:02:37and Doug shushed them when they wanted
6:02:38to ask what was going on, but he
6:02:40directed them all to the fresh pot of
6:02:42coffee brewing in the kitchen to replace
6:02:44the nearly empty one. Finally, Lotus
6:02:47couldn't take it anymore. Are we just
6:02:50going to wait for it or can I just tell
6:02:52them now? She pleaded. All right, you
6:02:55can tell them. We've had our fun. Lotus
6:02:59smirked at the group. Sure that she was
6:03:01one of the few who could actually tell
6:03:03what had happened. He's got royal rank
6:03:06offensive adaptation active on him. Ry
6:03:10advanced, right? That means Ry advanced.
6:03:13It has to. Can we see her now? Did she
6:03:17get big? Is she shiny? The little cleric
6:03:21rambled. Carl held up his hand for a
6:03:24high five right on the first try. But
6:03:28she is still the same size. And I'm not
6:03:30sure why you would think she became
6:03:32shiny. But she did do a fine job
6:03:35grooming her carropase. So her fur is in
6:03:37pristine condition and her legs are in
6:03:39extra bloody red. I want to do my grand
6:03:42reveal on the line. Rey informed him.
6:03:46Rey says she wants to show everyone at
6:03:48once, so she's not coming out until our
6:03:51shift starts. That way, everyone can see
6:03:54how glorious a full-grown bloodbath
6:03:56spider can be. Doug laughed. Well, at
6:04:00least she didn't lose her sense of drama
6:04:02when she advanced. It would have been a
6:04:05shame if Ry became all boring and
6:04:07serious just because she was the only
6:04:08royal rank around at the moment. Bob
6:04:11snorted in amusement. I'm just glad to
6:04:14hear that she's the same size. I've
6:04:17gotten used to that level of giant
6:04:19spider. I'm not sure my heart could take
6:04:21an even larger version. That morning,
6:04:24they decided to eat in the fort and let
6:04:26the clerics cook for them so that they
6:04:27could surprise the others when they got
6:04:29to the line and brought Ry out. Everyone
6:04:32knew that Lotus was not built for
6:04:33keeping secrets. And if she had to sit
6:04:35all the way through breakfast, she would
6:04:37totally blurt it out.
6:04:40So they left just in time to head to the
6:04:42line for their shifts while doing their
6:04:44best to avoid attracting attention from
6:04:46those with sharper senses until they
6:04:47arrived. Offensive adaptation was a
6:04:51passive skill that Ry shared with Carl
6:04:53and he couldn't really turn it off. But
6:04:56that meant that it was pretty obvious
6:04:57that he had a royal rank skill to anyone
6:04:59who was around him and paying attention.
6:05:02Heads turned as they approached the
6:05:04line, but Carl didn't say anything as he
6:05:06walked to his spot and relieved the team
6:05:08on duty who didn't actually leave. They
6:05:10just stepped back a bit so he could take
6:05:12his spot. Only once they were in
6:05:14position and the whole section of the
6:05:16line was watching did Carl call Ray out
6:05:18for everyone to admire her beauty and
6:05:20glory. As soon as she appeared, the
6:05:23whole line went silent before the
6:05:25command channel of the radio began to
6:05:27blow up with panicked comments. Who has
6:05:30eyes on the royal rank threat? No threat
6:05:33detected.
6:05:35Nothing on the scope. It has to be
6:05:38close. I can feel it. Right flank. Do
6:05:41you see it? Right flank reports no
6:05:44incoming threats. There is a royal rank
6:05:47beast here. We can all sense it. Copy
6:05:50that. Royal rank beast located.
6:05:54Currently playing kickball with the
6:05:56clerics.
6:05:58Gods damn it.
6:05:59Carl. The absurdity of the radio
6:06:02confusion broke the tension, and
6:06:04everyone on the right flank turned to
6:06:06watch Ray playing with Lotus and Doug.
6:06:09Carl could see the teachers storming
6:06:10their way, intent on chewing him out for
6:06:13not informing them that he had advanced.
6:06:15But the joke was on them. He hadn't
6:06:17advanced yet. Only Rey had. Do you enjoy
6:06:22causing chaos on the lines? One of the
6:06:25warrior class teachers was shouting as
6:06:26he approached the spot where Ry was
6:06:28playing with the nature clerics. The
6:06:31bloodbath spider nodded emphatically and
6:06:33the students burst into laughter. He
6:06:36hadn't been speaking to her, but Rey was
6:06:38so clearly proud of her prank that
6:06:40nobody had the heart to tell her they
6:06:42should have at least warned the people
6:06:43in charge. The teachers had gathered
6:06:46around trying to decide what the actual
6:06:48situation was and if Carl could be
6:06:50considered to be royal rank, which would
6:06:52require a notification to the
6:06:54government, as he would need to be
6:06:55reassigned to lead a more powerful team
6:06:57or join another team of royal rank and
6:06:59higher combatants.
6:07:01Most of the strike team who had faced
6:07:03the last assault had come running in
6:07:05case there really was a royal rank
6:07:07threat here, and Carl could see that
6:07:09most of them were amused to see that it
6:07:10was actually just Rey. They had all
6:07:13suspected that she was halfway into the
6:07:15royal rank during the last battle with
6:07:17some of her skills already advanced. But
6:07:19now they had clear evidence that there
6:07:21was a royal rank monster on Carl's team.
6:07:24But that was the problem. The elites
6:07:26were measured by their own power. Ry was
6:07:30royal rank, but that didn't mean that
6:07:31Carl automatically was as well, unless
6:07:34he could exert that level of power
6:07:35without relying on her. When were you
6:07:38planning to announce this advancement of
6:07:40the academy? One of the professors
6:07:42demanded before Carl could reply to the
6:07:44first one. Carl shrugged. I thought we
6:07:48just did announce it to the whole
6:07:50academy at once. I mean, everyone knows.
6:07:53So, mission accomplished, right? Doug
6:07:56and Lotus nodded in agreement while Dana
6:07:59looked over at Morgana.
6:08:01Remind me again, what was it that made
6:08:03you want to be a student adviser? The
6:08:05witch doctor sighed. I don't recall
6:08:08students in my year being this
6:08:10problematic.
6:08:11They were kind of douchebags and like to
6:08:13form clicks, but I definitely don't
6:08:15recall us giving teachers this many
6:08:17headaches.
6:08:19Tank looked back and forth between Ry
6:08:21and Carl. It looks like you've got at
6:08:23least one of her skills. Did you gain
6:08:26access to any more of them as she
6:08:28advanced? That was an excellent
6:08:30question.
6:08:32Status: Name: Ray. Species: Blood Bath
6:08:36Spider. Rank: Royal.
6:08:39shared skills to offensive adaptation.
6:08:42Lacerate Earth Shield. Ray, when did you
6:08:45learn Earth Shield? Carl asked out loud,
6:08:49startled.
6:08:50Watch this. Ry encased herself in a dome
6:08:54of stone, then suddenly appeared right
6:08:56behind Tank with her mandibles resting
6:08:58on top of his head. Damn it. I knew the
6:09:01students weren't just messing with me.
6:09:04She learned how to shadow step and she
6:09:06learned to make her own shadows to step
6:09:08into. A rogue class professor cussed.
6:09:12The other rogue in the area laughed. Oh,
6:09:15that is priceless.
6:09:17I didn't know that she learned to make
6:09:19her own shadows. I was teaching the
6:09:22class yesterday when she vanished for
6:09:23the first time. She went from the edge
6:09:26of the training grounds up into the
6:09:27trees. He saw me. Oh, he's good. I
6:09:33totally thought he didn't notice. Ry
6:09:36informed Carl, then vanished again to
6:09:38reappear standing on top of her stone
6:09:40dome. Tank tapped his fingers on his
6:09:43chin. Can someone explain in a way that
6:09:45a berserker can understand why Rey is
6:09:48using earth magic? The vanishing act
6:09:50makes sense, but not that. Carl smiled
6:09:54at the huge man. Her advancement process
6:09:57includes cycling a lot of higher rank
6:09:59blood through her body, a literal blood
6:10:01bath. She used her giant blood and they
6:10:04can all use earth magic.
6:10:07So she gained an ability from them
6:10:09during her advancement. If she had used
6:10:12something else, it would have been a
6:10:14different ability.
6:10:15So she learned to make stone shields.
6:10:19That's impressive as a defensive
6:10:20ability, but she's an assassin type
6:10:22attacker. One of the warriors asked
6:10:25confused.
6:10:27Ry threw a stone baseball at him. Carl
6:10:30laughed. I gained access to the earth
6:10:33shield. But she can use that and boulder
6:10:37toss. How does that mesh with her other
6:10:39abilities?
6:10:41Tank asked, not quite following how the
6:10:43ability was relevant to her. Ray
6:10:46summoned a large stone in the air, then
6:10:48hurled it into the distance. When it was
6:10:51100 m away, she appeared underneath it.
6:10:54Portable shade for her movement
6:10:56abilities.
6:10:58Plus, she had a spear ability before
6:11:00that she used at short range to apply
6:11:02lacerate.
6:11:04Now she can throw big things at people.
6:11:07It might not be sharp, but I bet it will
6:11:09make them bleed, Carl guessed. And now I
6:11:13can use crushing blows. That's all the
6:11:16bonuses for me, Rey added as she came
6:11:19back to her dome. Smashing posts, Thor
6:11:23muttered reverently, staring out of his
6:11:25space at the dome. I will make some for
6:11:28you after our shift. Carl agreed. How
6:11:32much do you think that her damage has
6:11:34increased? Tank asked curiously. He had
6:11:38seen her up close in combat and had a
6:11:40good idea what she could do 2 days ago,
6:11:42so he would be one of the best to judge
6:11:44how much her improvement was from the
6:11:45advancement.
6:11:47Do we have high a commander rank barrier
6:11:49mage nearby? Carl asked. One of the
6:11:53teachers stepped forward and created a
6:11:55solid wall of magic in front of the
6:11:57students. Rey, if you would kindly stab
6:12:00that one time, Carl requested.
6:12:04Ry moved so fast that half the students
6:12:06couldn't even follow her camouflaged
6:12:08form, and the barrier shattered as her
6:12:10stone- covered leg shot forward. There
6:12:13wasn't even any resistance. The barrier
6:12:15just shattered at the first hit. The
6:12:18teacher just stared at the spot where
6:12:19his barrier used to be. It hadn't even
6:12:22held long enough to slow down Ray<unk>s
6:12:24advance. That was the barrier they
6:12:27relied upon to defend against the
6:12:28attacks of the hill giants. And while it
6:12:30was supported by others, it hadn't
6:12:32fallen often during the time they had
6:12:34been here. The teacher shook his head,
6:12:37clearing his thoughts. That's not low
6:12:40royal rank damage. I am guessing that
6:12:43Carl has a number of passive buffs
6:12:45active on his beasts, but I would say it
6:12:47is a little over twice the minimum
6:12:48standard for royal rank. he explained.
6:12:52Carl nodded. Yeah, there are a number of
6:12:55abilities that are always active on
6:12:57them, but I can still increase their
6:12:59speed and damage a bit more. Tank
6:13:02blinked slowly as he did the mental
6:13:03math. Does all of that apply to the
6:13:06golems as well? Yes, but they were
6:13:09already advanced, so they might not have
6:13:11gotten as big of a jump as Ry did. Now
6:13:14that she's caught up to the rank of her
6:13:16golems, we will need to wait for the
6:13:17skill to advance them to the monarch
6:13:19rank before they are that far ahead of
6:13:21her again. Carl explained.
6:13:24A few of the students shuddered at the
6:13:26thought. Royal rank was a dream for most
6:13:29of them. Monarch rank golems were the
6:13:32sort of thing that they made horror
6:13:33movies about. Well, they actually didn't
6:13:37usually make horror movies about things
6:13:38that scary. Most movies used threats
6:13:41that were more relatable, but the idea
6:13:43was the same. All of the others were
6:13:46resting in their spaces as Carl worked
6:13:48to rebuild the energy focus that Ray's
6:13:50advancement had depleted. It was taking
6:13:53longer than expected as the energy kept
6:13:55leaking out as the spaces tried to
6:13:57balance with rays, which wouldn't
6:13:58reduce. It was already at a much higher
6:14:01energy level than theirs. So, the energy
6:14:03just kept pouring from the transfer to
6:14:05the space itself. the same as had
6:14:07happened at the start before Carl had
6:14:09created the energy focus points in the
6:14:11first place. Well, if there is an
6:14:13attack, I dare say that this flank is
6:14:15now ready to repulse it. But I think
6:14:18we're all eagerly awaiting the results
6:14:20of Commander Carl's imminent
6:14:21advancement.
6:14:23His whole team is showing signs of
6:14:25advancing already, way ahead of
6:14:27schedule. Tell me, is there some secret
6:14:29to it? A hidden skill, a gift that you
6:14:32were given? the barrier mage professor
6:14:35asked. Carl shrugged while Tessa waved
6:14:39her hand dismissively.
6:14:41Nothing tangible. The oracles said that
6:14:44we had the world dragon's luck when we
6:14:46stuck together, so we signed a contract
6:14:48to spend a year working as a team. Ever
6:14:50since then, things have been both
6:14:52progressing well and becoming
6:14:54increasingly dangerous for us. The
6:14:56teacher nodded in understanding.
6:14:59The oracles have a way of messing with
6:15:01us all. But if they said that it would
6:15:03help you, then it must have. But I could
6:15:06swear that you've got an untested high
6:15:08priestess in the group. That last
6:15:11comment was directed straight at Tessa,
6:15:13who smiled, but didn't confirm or deny
6:15:15anything. The students were a bit more
6:15:18eager to see what would happen next. The
6:15:21hill giants did have more royal ranked
6:15:23giants to send at them, but most of the
6:15:25time they avoided the most dangerous
6:15:27spots along the line and attacked the
6:15:29weak spots in the human defense. Now
6:15:32that there was a royal ranked defender
6:15:33here, would they actually get even more
6:15:35days off between attacks? That felt like
6:15:38too much to ask for, but there were no
6:15:40signs of an attack today. So perhaps
6:15:43they were going to get a reprieve long
6:15:44enough for them all to recover from the
6:15:46lack of sleep they suffered while the
6:15:47walls were being torn down. The mage
6:15:50class teacher turned to Carl. Can you
6:15:53show me the earth barrier that you said
6:15:54you gained from Ry? I would like to see
6:15:57how strong it is. Carl brought up a wall
6:16:00of stone, placing it in front of the
6:16:02line so that the mages could attack it
6:16:04at will. It wasn't quite as strong as he
6:16:07could make it, closer to 80% power,
6:16:09which wouldn't strain his capabilities.
6:16:11But when the mages began to cast, their
6:16:14spells were only creating chips in the
6:16:16stone, hacking away at it dozens of
6:16:18times before the barrier actually broke.
6:16:21That is truly impressive.
6:16:23How much energy were you adding to that
6:16:25to keep it active? The teacher asked.
6:16:29None. I just created it and left it
6:16:31there. I can put energy in it if you'd
6:16:34like, but I thought that we shouldn't
6:16:36burn too much in case all this showing
6:16:38off attracts trouble, Carl explained.
6:16:42Well, if you can create barriers like
6:16:44that without actively feeding them, I
6:16:46don't think your group has much to fear
6:16:47at this point, can you create them as an
6:16:50armor layer around someone?" Carl cast
6:16:53the spell on Tank, who flexed and
6:16:55struggled for a moment before raging and
6:16:57blowing the stone apart. I will take
6:17:00that as a yes, but also no. It's
6:17:03certainly not an earth armor spell. It's
6:17:05just a static barrier. The mage laughed.
6:17:09Carl had an idea, though. He created a
6:17:12shield out of the stone and handed it to
6:17:15Tessa, then adjusted the back slots to
6:17:17fit her arm over her armor. "If I'm
6:17:20right, a magical stone barrier doesn't
6:17:22have to weigh anything." Carl explained.
6:17:26Tessa nodded. "I can feel it on my arm,
6:17:29but it can't weigh more than a quart
6:17:31kilo. If I was using this as a shield in
6:17:34combat, it would really reduce arm
6:17:36fatigue, and it's renewable, so I
6:17:38wouldn't have to extend a barrier over
6:17:40it to protect my gear. Or Carl could
6:17:43cast it over her shield when he had a
6:17:44moment, so she would have a shield in
6:17:46her hand no matter what. Bob was
6:17:49thinking the same as he was a defensive
6:17:51warrior, and having a layer that durable
6:17:53over his shield would save him a ton of
6:17:55mana on guard, which was not nearly as
6:17:57mana efficient as higher ranked skills
6:17:59like that. From what everyone could
6:18:02tell, the Earth Shield was a tier 2
6:18:04ability with the added benefit of being
6:18:06an innately royal rank skill with the
6:18:08mana efficiency and durability to match.
6:18:11It was far superior to a common tier 1
6:18:14ability used at royal rank as most
6:18:16elites would do unless they happen to
6:18:18learn an upgraded version. We will have
6:18:20to add it to the tactics for the team.
6:18:23Perhaps you could even make a new helmet
6:18:25for Thor so he wouldn't have to risk his
6:18:27lightning to headbutt people. Bob
6:18:30suggested.
6:18:31That sounded great to Thor. Everyone
6:18:34loved a good hat. Bob had a very good
6:18:37hat. It even had nice long horns on it.
6:18:41He had to be an expert in Thor's mind.
6:18:44The shift was a quiet one with no
6:18:46attackers in sight. But the moment that
6:18:48Carl and his team left the line, things
6:18:50began to get chaotic.
6:18:53Every teacher wanted to know if there
6:18:54were more spell books that Carl could
6:18:56write for them to copy or if he could
6:18:58teach the skills that Ry had learned
6:18:59directly to other students the way that
6:19:01the teachers at the academy did for the
6:19:03basics. Carl checked the skill book
6:19:07description for earth shield and frowned
6:19:11book of earth shield usable by monster
6:19:14giant earth element recipients
6:19:17requires one earth element gem at
6:19:19commander rank or higher ground to dust
6:19:22mixed with powdered gold and commander
6:19:24rank or higher hill giant blood that was
6:19:27far more detailed than he had ever
6:19:28gotten from the ability before. But the
6:19:30book looked like it was far more
6:19:32restrictive as well. Or perhaps it
6:19:34wasn't, as he didn't know the
6:19:36restrictions on the book of refreshing
6:19:38lightning. But needing all three of
6:19:40those keywords essentially narrowed it
6:19:42down to Rey, who was a giant monster and
6:19:44had gained the earth element when she
6:19:46advanced to royal rank using hill giant
6:19:48blood. I can make it if we have a
6:19:51powdered commander rank earth element
6:19:53gem and powdered gold to mix with
6:19:55commander rank hill giant blood which I
6:19:57have in reserve but it can exclusively
6:20:00be used by those who are giant monsters
6:20:02with the earth element. Carl explained
6:20:06someone behind tank began to curse and
6:20:08Carl distinctly heard the words I'm not
6:20:10going through that again before the man
6:20:12stomped away. Well that gives us the
6:20:15answer we need. You can wait on the book
6:20:18until you really don't have anything
6:20:20better to do. But if there are other
6:20:22members of your group who can use it, we
6:20:24can get you the supplies. The big
6:20:27berserker suggested. The closest would
6:20:30be Oilia, but I don't know if she would
6:20:32count as a giant or if she has any earth
6:20:34element skills, much less an earth
6:20:36element aspect.
6:20:38Carl sighed. Oilia shook her head. I'm
6:20:42averages sized for a werebear and that's
6:20:44a nature element transformation, not
6:20:47earth element. The number of people who
6:20:49can use that book will be really
6:20:51limited. I would guess that not even
6:20:53Thor could use it and he's considered a
6:20:55giant monster by reptile standards. He's
6:20:59more lightning and holy element than
6:21:01Earth. It was a shame that they wouldn't
6:21:03be able to share more skills right now,
6:21:05but in the future, Carl would certainly
6:21:08have to donate a copy to the
6:21:09inscriptionists.
6:21:11If someone else got his class, it would
6:21:13be wonderful for them to start with
6:21:14something, even a few skills that were
6:21:16tailored to beasts, so they could get
6:21:18started on the right track. The students
6:21:21from the line sat down to dinner, and
6:21:23the teachers began to filter over to
6:21:25talk to Carl. The same thought was on
6:21:27everyone's mind. How long would it be
6:21:30before the academy had a royal rank
6:21:32student? The government had only ordered
6:21:35the students and faculty from ascended
6:21:36and commander ranks to come here to the
6:21:38hill giant border. So there was a chance
6:21:40that someone might try to steal him away
6:21:42the moment that word spread. But there
6:21:44was also the factor of actually getting
6:21:45to have a royal ranked defender on their
6:21:47lines for some time. It would give
6:21:50everyone so much more peace of mind that
6:21:52they might actually start sleeping
6:21:53properly between shifts.
6:21:56Far too many of the students were overt
6:21:58tired and strung out from lack of sleep,
6:22:00but too nervous to allow themselves to
6:22:02fall into a deep slumber when there
6:22:04could be an attack at any minute, even
6:22:06if they were off duty. The royal rank
6:22:09aura seemed to make many of the ascended
6:22:11rank students nervous so Carl didn't
6:22:13hang around the dining hall for long.
6:22:16Instead, he led the teachers to one of
6:22:18the classroom tents where they could ask
6:22:20questions to their heart's content.
6:22:22Let's start with the important topics.
6:22:25How is Ray's role in combat going to
6:22:27change with her new abilities?
6:22:30One of the professors, whose voice Carl
6:22:32recognized as the zone commander on the
6:22:34radio, asked, "It won't change much. We
6:22:38will have some extra defensive power,
6:22:40and Ry will have more ranged attacks,
6:22:42but her primary duty is usually the
6:22:44defense of the casters while her golems
6:22:47go forward to fight. Now, if she's not
6:22:50pressed to defend, she will be able to
6:22:52offer more fire support to the team. But
6:22:54her essential role hasn't changed," Carl
6:22:57explained.
6:22:59Will your team need to change tactics to
6:23:01properly work with the new earth
6:23:02shields? Most of the time, no. We can
6:23:06have Ry create barriers with gaps for
6:23:08them to attack out of while still being
6:23:10shielded from hostiles,
6:23:13or she can grant it to an actual shield
6:23:15if we're going to do a shield wall
6:23:17formation for them in a larger battle.
6:23:19The zone commander made a quick note and
6:23:22nodded. So, you're thinking of having
6:23:24her create either portable shields or a
6:23:26simple structure with a roof to block
6:23:28attacks from above? That should work,
6:23:31and it would keep the mages safe enough
6:23:33while they fought. Lotus giggled. It
6:23:36would also cut down on Sunburn. Bob
6:23:39nodded. She's got a point. They could
6:23:43fight in the shade. Maybe we could get
6:23:46Ry to make them some benches as well, so
6:23:48they could sit and relax as they fired
6:23:50off their spells. A few of the mages
6:23:53laughed while others just rolled their
6:23:55eyes. "Is that how you think of the
6:23:57casters in the back just lounging around
6:24:00in the shade, firing off spells and
6:24:02support?" Morana asked. "Of course not.
6:24:07Right now, you have neither chairs nor
6:24:09shade. But if you did, no, that wouldn't
6:24:12work, would it? You need to make
6:24:15gestures and movements while you cast.
6:24:18It wouldn't be as effective from one of
6:24:19those comfy swinging chairs. Bob
6:24:22realized.
6:24:24Doug shrugged. The swinging chairs would
6:24:27be great for other activities, though. I
6:24:30will have to get Ray to let me have one
6:24:31of them before we change stations.
6:24:34So, we can expect similar tactics from
6:24:37your group, but with some additional
6:24:38defensive capability and more attack
6:24:41power. That is wonderful. Is there any
6:24:44hint as to when the others might
6:24:46advance? The zone commander asked,
6:24:49bringing them back on topic. It should
6:24:52be soon, likely within a month. It might
6:24:55even be within the next few days, but I
6:24:57don't have the experience to say for
6:24:59certain. Carl shrugged. That should be
6:25:03good enough for the evening. We will be
6:25:05in contact tomorrow before your shift in
6:25:08case we need to balance the forces along
6:25:10the line. The zone commander informed
6:25:13them, then got up and left the room.
6:25:16Forget about that. What's more important
6:25:18is that you can make royal rank defenses
6:25:20for the front line. How many shields do
6:25:23you think that you can do at once? Is
6:25:26there a time limit on the spell? One of
6:25:28the warriors asked. I honestly don't
6:25:31know yet. I haven't had an opportunity
6:25:34to do any experimentation at all since
6:25:36we got all distracted and just watched
6:25:38Ray show off for our entire shift.
6:25:41It doesn't look like it expires as Ray's
6:25:44dome of stone is still standing out
6:25:45there in front of the line, but it might
6:25:48be gone by morning and I don't know how
6:25:50many separate spells I can keep active,
6:25:53Carl explained.
6:25:55Well, we will have to test that
6:25:56tomorrow. The sooner the better.
6:26:00Preferably before the Hill Giants show
6:26:02up again. Someone's red flag comment the
6:26:05night before had definitely been at
6:26:07fault for this morning. Carl decided he
6:26:10hadn't even gotten to have a morning
6:26:12coffee, much less breakfast, when the
6:26:14alarm sounded with the additional urgent
6:26:16tone that said hill giants were
6:26:17attacking and closing quickly. Everyone
6:26:20was headed out at the same moment,
6:26:22running across the camp or riding on the
6:26:24beasts to save time. A lot of time in
6:26:27the case of Lotus and Rey, who had just
6:26:29realized that she could continually
6:26:31shadow step with an attached cleric as
6:26:33long as Lotus didn't fall off. The basic
6:26:37requirement for shadow step was that at
6:26:38least half of your body had to be in the
6:26:40shadows. Most rogues accomplished that
6:26:43with a swirl of their cloak. Ry
6:26:45accomplished it either with earth magic
6:26:47or with lotus cloak billowing across her
6:26:49back. It worked out splendidly for them
6:26:52and they were in place within seconds,
6:26:54shocking the elites who were already in
6:26:56place. Only it wasn't the same group
6:26:59they were used to. Their shift was
6:27:02mostly there, but both of the other
6:27:03shifts had been cut by over half and
6:27:05replaced with regular infantry guided by
6:27:08white robes from the church. Lotus
6:27:10realized immediately why that would be.
6:27:13They had Ray here now, and Carl was
6:27:16getting very close to advancing.
6:27:18So, they didn't need as many strong
6:27:20elites on the right flank anymore. They
6:27:23did get Bob and Doug as permanent
6:27:25additions as far as Lotus could tell as
6:27:28they were still headed in her direction
6:27:29and Morgana was coming as well. But
6:27:32there were far more white robes in the
6:27:34pike line than she remembered. Lotus
6:27:37waved happily at the nervous soldiers
6:27:39who calmed a bit upon seeing the strange
6:27:41duo behind their ranks. Everyone had
6:27:44heard the rumors, and if they had a
6:27:45royal rank beast with them, then they
6:27:47should be fine no matter what was
6:27:49coming. Carl arrived 30 seconds later to
6:27:53a smug smile from Ry and Lotus and a
6:27:55warm welcome from the other elites who
6:27:57were eager to see the new and improved
6:27:59Ray in action. Carl joged in front of
6:28:02the line and turned back to address the
6:28:04new arrivals.
6:28:06I see plenty of fresh faces in the line
6:28:08today, so this should be easy. I need
6:28:11everyone to raise their shields. Carl
6:28:14called out. Those who could hear him
6:28:17responded immediately and Carl split
6:28:19earth shield over 50 tall metal kite
6:28:22shields giving them all a layer of royal
6:28:24rank earth magic. Then he repeated the
6:28:27task as he joged down the line to the
6:28:29end of their sector where another team's
6:28:31defensive magic took over. Perfect. That
6:28:35should take the first few hits for you.
6:28:37Just trust in your shields and keep your
6:28:39pikes up to halt the charge. He shouted
6:28:43sir. Yes, sir. The soldiers responded in
6:28:47unison. Tessa and the others on Thor
6:28:50arrived soon after. The war cleric
6:28:52assessed the enhanced shields with a
6:28:54trained eye and then cast her combat
6:28:56buffs, bringing the telltale golden glow
6:28:58to the pikes and the armor of the
6:29:00soldiers and elites on the front line.
6:29:02It was only a small change from the
6:29:04usual routine, adding Carl enhancing the
6:29:07shields, easily completed before the
6:29:09hill giants were in range. Hawk could
6:29:12see them though. They were charging
6:29:14forward and there was a large group of
6:29:16commanders coming toward the right
6:29:18flank. The same sort of tactic that Carl
6:29:20and his team used to take down royal
6:29:22ranked giants in the past. If they were
6:29:25as good at assassination techniques as
6:29:27the humans were, Carl would be
6:29:28concerned. But an extra 20 commanders
6:29:31wasn't a huge deal. They were more than
6:29:33a little short on teachers as well. Carl
6:29:36noticed the three with his team were the
6:29:39only ones assigned to this whole section
6:29:41when normally there would be at least
6:29:42six or seven. Then one last team came
6:29:45jogging their way. Gunblue armor
6:29:47highlighting the white of their church
6:29:49robes. Like Bob, they were all heavily
6:29:52armored warriors. And like Bob, they all
6:29:55had magnificently ridiculous helmets on.
6:29:58Princess Ray, commanders, we have been
6:30:01sent here by the clergy to ensure your
6:30:03safety. Special Forces Team 808
6:30:07reporting. The man in the lead position
6:30:09announced. There were three men and two
6:30:12women in the team, all nearly
6:30:14identically dressed. Or perhaps one was
6:30:17an exceptionally slender male. It was
6:30:20hard to tell with the robes and the
6:30:21practical armor. But one was clearly
6:30:24female, as her chest plates curve made
6:30:26it very evident that she required
6:30:28additional clearance.
6:30:30What is your specialty? We will get you
6:30:33placed.
6:30:34Carl replied while Ray strutted about in
6:30:37joy. They had addressed her first. Not
6:30:40only that, but they had called her
6:30:42princess.
6:30:44These were obviously the elite of the
6:30:45elite with their impeccable judgment and
6:30:48refined tastes. We are all magical
6:30:51knights. Commander rank mages trained in
6:30:54heavy combat. The team leader informed
6:30:57them. Dana gave them a curious look and
6:31:00the woman on the right flank lifted her
6:31:02visor to give her a wink.
6:31:04Why would you train mages in heavy
6:31:06combat? Dana asked curiously.
6:31:09We've got the best barriers. We've got
6:31:11offensive magic. But what is the
6:31:13weakness of the average mage? They're
6:31:16squishy and don't do well in close
6:31:18combat. Our training negates that
6:31:20disadvantage.
6:31:22Would you like to learn it? I read in
6:31:25your file that you have a nullification
6:31:26barrier and an advanced barrier skill is
6:31:29one of the application requirements to
6:31:30be considered for a placement. the
6:31:33special forces woman replied.
6:31:36Hey, no stealing my Dana mage. But I do
6:31:40agree it could be useful to her to learn
6:31:42your techniques.
6:31:44Carl replied half jokingly.
6:31:47Then watch and learn. The first thing
6:31:49will be learning the sword, which takes
6:31:51time, but we have a cheat for that. If
6:31:53you're serious about learning, you can
6:31:56decide after the battle whether you want
6:31:58to try. the woman replied, ignoring Carl
6:32:01to talk to Dana. The sound of hill giant
6:32:04war horns sounded in the distance, and
6:32:06Carl saw a group of 30 commanders break
6:32:09off, moving further from the flank and
6:32:11separating themselves from the main
6:32:12charge. That looks like they're
6:32:14challenging you, 100%.
6:32:18Bob noted. Yeah, I suppose that we
6:32:21should go give them what for. Rey, why
6:32:24don't you show off your stone throwing
6:32:26here while the golems come with us?
6:32:28Small stones at high speed should either
6:32:31break or stop the incoming boulders,
6:32:34Carl suggested.
6:32:36Anti-aircraft spider, Ry replied
6:32:39confused.
6:32:41Anti-aircraft spider. Then you can stab
6:32:44whatever makes it to the lines. Carl
6:32:47confirmed.
6:32:48Carl led the group out from the flank
6:32:50accompanied by the special forces team
6:32:53to add some numbers to their eightperson
6:32:55squad. With the golems, it was 15, which
6:32:58was a nice round number, half of what
6:33:01the enemy had sent and enough that they
6:33:03could hold a defensive formation. The
6:33:06special forces team moved to the front,
6:33:08and Carl watched as they extended their
6:33:10blades into long-bladed spears with a
6:33:12spell. That was a handy ability, and it
6:33:15gave them the additional reach that they
6:33:17needed to fight a target as large as the
6:33:19hill giants.
6:33:20Carl brought up his full suite of buffs,
6:33:23causing Thor and the golems to surge in
6:33:25size while increasing in speed. "On my
6:33:28mark," Carl called as he prepared Earth
6:33:32Shield on the last few shields as well
6:33:34as Thor's head and added five layers of
6:33:37flaming body to his maul. Using his
6:33:40enhanced strength, he lunged forward
6:33:42over the heads of the magical knights
6:33:44and shattered the club of his targeted
6:33:46hill giant. The mall was still moving
6:33:49forward, and Carl reactivated the spell
6:33:51stack as he slammed the oversized hammer
6:33:53down on the giant's shoulder. The hill
6:33:56giant crumpled to his knees, and the
6:33:58spider golems leapt into action,
6:34:00starting toward the back flanks of the
6:34:02attackers. Before Carl had even landed,
6:34:05the knights were in combat. They had
6:34:08used a movement skill much like the
6:34:09spellblades did to compensate for their
6:34:11lack of supernatural strength, and their
6:34:13blades were a blur as the spears tore
6:34:15into the giants.
6:34:17Thor charged beside Carl as he rode the
6:34:19wounded giant to the ground before using
6:34:22Ren to slice its neck open with a wave
6:34:24of his hand. Then it was on to the next
6:34:27one as the warriors pushed forward and
6:34:29Dana's spells whistled overhead. The
6:34:32knights were using mage spells. Carl
6:34:34could see, but they were using them at
6:34:36point blank range as a counterpoint to
6:34:38their weapon attacks. It was an
6:34:40incredibly aggressive fighting style for
6:34:42a defensive warrior, but their enhanced
6:34:44speed was making it work. Morgana's
6:34:47corruption spell was rotting away the
6:34:49attackers and slowing their movements,
6:34:51while a sudden blizzard turned
6:34:53everything more than 20 m away to a wall
6:34:55of white. That might be a lot for
6:34:57humans, but for the hill giants, who
6:35:00were all over 5 m tall, it made actually
6:35:02fighting more than a little problematic.
6:35:05They could only see what was happening
6:35:07to the fighters closest to them, and
6:35:09those further away were blurry, making
6:35:11it hard to pick out the targets. Carl
6:35:14caught on quickly and equipped his furry
6:35:15white cloak, causing the outline of his
6:35:18form to appear blurry in the snow. As he
6:35:20continued his assault, the special
6:35:22forces team were already in white, but
6:35:24the change made Bob stand out even more
6:35:26in his silver and black attire.
6:35:29Fireballs shot up from totems placed on
6:35:31the ground to the side of the group
6:35:33where the giants would have to expose
6:35:35their flanks or backs to get rid of
6:35:36them. And Remy slithered out to wait
6:35:38between Lotus and Dana while she fired
6:35:40her chain lightning and alternated
6:35:42locations for her totems.
6:35:45Surge attack. The Knights leader
6:35:47announced as they moved in unison to
6:35:49retreat within the team's formation.
6:35:52Carl wasn't sure what that meant, but he
6:35:54brought up a lattice of Earth Shield as
6:35:56a dome over the elites. Anyhow, a
6:35:59barrage of boulders slammed into the
6:36:01stone, which shimmerred with magic as
6:36:03the knights added their shields to the
6:36:05mix. And then the stone crumbled,
6:36:07allowing the boulders to bounce off the
6:36:09magical shields. Carl didn't wait for
6:36:11the barrage to finish. He switched to
6:36:14his blade and moved back into the fray,
6:36:17slicing into the giants as the golems
6:36:19kept up their attack speed. They were so
6:36:21nimble that the hill giants hadn't
6:36:23managed to actually kill them or even
6:36:25seriously injure them yet despite trying
6:36:27to surround them. The increase in combat
6:36:30power shouldn't have been all that
6:36:32large, Carl thought. But Ry had gained a
6:36:34level, and that increased the bonus from
6:36:36the buffs she got from Carl. Those buffs
6:36:39passed along to the golems, and it was
6:36:41definitely noticeable. They also seemed
6:36:44to be a bit smarter than they were
6:36:46before, and their techniques were
6:36:47evolving. They were not just attacking,
6:36:50but they were also darting between legs,
6:36:52climbing up armor to jump between
6:36:54targets, and generally acting more like
6:36:56spiders. They were not just a menace,
6:36:59but a nuisance, frustrating the hill
6:37:01giants with their erratic movements and
6:37:03their tactics that seemed to have no
6:37:05rhyme or reason. A spider's primary goal
6:37:08was not to deal maximum damage at all
6:37:10times, as the golems had been doing
6:37:12before. A spider's primary goal was to
6:37:15not get squished while they were
6:37:17hunting.
6:37:18A spider's primary goal was not to deal
6:37:20maximum damage at all times, as the
6:37:23golems had been doing before. A spider's
6:37:26primary goal was to not get squished
6:37:28while they were hunting. Don't put your
6:37:30webs where they will get directly rained
6:37:32on, and don't get squished on your way
6:37:34to the food. That was the spider way.
6:37:38So, they crawled from target to another,
6:37:40stabbing, biting, and occasionally even
6:37:43killing. Carl thought that the total
6:37:45damage they were doing wasn't any lower,
6:37:47but the chaos that they caused among the
6:37:49hill giants was much higher now. He
6:37:52couldn't even blame them. A giant spider
6:37:55with razor blades for legs running under
6:37:57your groin or crawling up your back had
6:37:59to be nerve-wracking.
6:38:01Isn't he afraid of anything? Carl heard
6:38:04one of the knights asking as they
6:38:05rejoined the battle. Certainly not the
6:38:08hill giants, that is for certain. Dana
6:38:11laughed. The knights laughed as they
6:38:13surged forward around Carl to engage the
6:38:16hill giants. Most of the giants were
6:38:19already wounded and bleeding profusely
6:38:20from the lacerate enhanced wounds
6:38:23inflicted by the spider golems.
6:38:26Fighting against the unconventional
6:38:27tactics of the elites was forcing the
6:38:29hill giants to get creative with their
6:38:31magic. Just like Carl had done on the
6:38:34pike line shields, they were reinforcing
6:38:36their armor with barriers. That forced
6:38:39everyone to aim for the joints, which
6:38:41couldn't be armored over with an
6:38:42inflexible layer of stone. It was
6:38:45slowing the casualties, but the hill
6:38:47giants were slowing with pain and blood
6:38:49loss that was faster than they could
6:38:50heal. Carl switched back to his mall. If
6:38:54they were going to put up barriers to
6:38:56frustrate the arrows, he would just have
6:38:58to use his handy dandy barrier removal
6:39:00tool. A giant went flying off into the
6:39:03blizzard as Carl's hit struck the center
6:39:05of a giant's chest, shattering the
6:39:07commander rank barrier and the armor
6:39:09plating behind it with a stacked chain
6:39:11lightning attack that spread through the
6:39:13remnants of the force. The blizzard tore
6:39:16at every barrier and bit of exposed
6:39:18flesh, slowing the giants even as the
6:39:20lightning burned through their nerves.
6:39:22The hill giants were losing the battle,
6:39:24and they hadn't even realized yet that
6:39:26they were being coralled. The spider
6:39:29golems had moved to the back while the
6:39:30knights went left and Oilia joined Bob
6:39:33on the right. None of them could see far
6:39:36enough to realize that they no longer
6:39:37had any way out, and their instructions
6:39:39to each other were directly
6:39:41contradictory, as every giant was facing
6:39:43a different direction. Dana and Morgana
6:39:46cut down the two in front of Carl, and
6:39:48when he advanced, he found himself in
6:39:50the middle of the giant circle with
6:39:52every back to him. A mall strike to the
6:39:55back of a skull set him up to leap
6:39:56across to another unprotected head. Then
6:39:58a third swing down onto a shoulder,
6:40:01causing a third giant's axe to fall to
6:40:03the ground and leaving it defenseless.
6:40:06Remy, you can end the snowstorm. They're
6:40:08all dead. Carl announced once nothing
6:40:11was moving and he could see all of his
6:40:13team's melee fighters. The blizzard
6:40:16faded, and they were treated to the
6:40:18spectacle of Ray in full anti-projectile
6:40:20mode, shooting down every boulder within
6:40:22a 100 meters of her position. Not even
6:40:25the anti-aircraft guns were that
6:40:27effective, and her small stones were
6:40:29hitting the larger stones hard enough to
6:40:30drop them to the ground short of the
6:40:32pike line, while the ascended rank
6:40:34boulders shattered outright. She was
6:40:37standing on top of a plinth of stone,
6:40:39clear for everyone to see, and taunting
6:40:41the hill giants, whose ranged offensive
6:40:43had been completely nullified on this
6:40:45flank. Has she always been that
6:40:47dramatic? One of the knights asked.
6:40:51Lotus giggled and Doug rolled his eyes.
6:40:54"You haven't seen anything yet. Just
6:40:57wait until she really gets rolling."
6:40:59"Right now is like the preview to Ray
6:41:02being dramatic." Tessa nodded. You
6:41:05weren't here for the day that she strung
6:41:07up and crucified a royal rankill giant
6:41:09to taunt the rest of the army into
6:41:10attacking, were you? That was dramatic.
6:41:14Or the day that she sent the spider
6:41:16golems through the ascended ranked
6:41:18giants, maming hundreds of them in 15
6:41:20minutes without killing anyone. The male
6:41:23knight nodded. Got it. Ry likes to make
6:41:27a statement. Are any of the others quite
6:41:30so fond of attention? Carl looked back
6:41:33at where Thor was getting his head
6:41:34ridgeed scratched by Tessa and Doug. Yes
6:41:37and no. Thor loves attention. All the
6:41:41attention all the time, but not in a
6:41:44dramatic way. He's just a people person.
6:41:47Lotus nodded in agreement. A lightning
6:41:51sparrow is a pack animal, and he doesn't
6:41:53like being separated from his makeshift
6:41:55pack. Thor is definitely the cuddliest
6:41:58personality in the group.
6:42:00Carl turned the group toward the rest of
6:42:01the hill giants, which were forming up
6:42:04for a charge on the humans now that Rey
6:42:05had blocked their boulder barrage. They
6:42:08weren't going to sit and wait for the
6:42:10humans to compile a full attack force
6:42:12like the last time they were here. So,
6:42:15they charged, but so did Carl, which
6:42:17forced the end of the line to turn and
6:42:19face him instead of the pike line. He
6:42:21could feel the power building in the air
6:42:23as he attacked, but Carl dismissed it as
6:42:26something that the hill giants were
6:42:27working on. If he could kill enough of
6:42:30them, the group spell would collapse,
6:42:32and that would be the end of it. With
6:42:34haste activated, Carl left the rest of
6:42:37the group behind, except for the spider
6:42:39golems, which accompanied him into the
6:42:41hill giant lines. The trio hacked limbs
6:42:44off the ascended giants and left them
6:42:46wounded as they headed for the
6:42:48commanders. It was the same tactic that
6:42:50the spider golems had used, but plus
6:42:53Carl and the hill giants still had no
6:42:55good answer for it. They threw up spikes
6:42:58of stone, but they moved too slowly. And
6:43:00Carl either stepped around them or cut
6:43:02them down as he passed by. They threw
6:43:05stones, but ascended rank attacks only
6:43:07bounced off his barriers if they even
6:43:09hit their target. The rest of the group
6:43:12was shouting something, but Carl
6:43:14couldn't make it out over the sound of
6:43:15combat. They were close, and his
6:43:18peripheral vision said they were holding
6:43:20their own with nobody injured. He would
6:43:22just slow down a bit and let them
6:43:24regroup. Then Ry was beside Carl, adding
6:43:27a fourth member to their team and making
6:43:30him jog to keep up with the tide of
6:43:31casualties caused by the trio of
6:43:33spiders. "You couldn't hold back
6:43:36anymore, could you?" Carl laughed. They
6:43:40stopped throwing rocks. In the distance,
6:43:43the hill giants broke and ran as another
6:43:45group charged forward of the line. It
6:43:48looked like Carl's aggressive tactics
6:43:50were rubbing off on some of the other
6:43:51commanders, and the hill giants were not
6:43:53happy about it.
6:43:55But even though the hill giants were
6:43:57retreating, the sense of growing power
6:43:59around Carl wasn't subsiding.
6:44:01Carl, stay exactly where you are and
6:44:04don't move. One of the magic knights
6:44:06warned. Carl stopped, wondering if he
6:44:09had triggered some sort of magical trap,
6:44:12maybe a landmine.
6:44:14But when he did, he saw what the others
6:44:16had been trying to warn him about while
6:44:17he was fighting. There was a swirling in
6:44:20the air, a distortion caused by some
6:44:22sort of magic. and it wasn't anything
6:44:24that he recognized.
6:44:26The effect was beginning to condense,
6:44:28making it impossible to see out of the
6:44:30distortion. But from Hawk's information,
6:44:32he knew that there was a small group of
6:44:34Commander ranked giants rushing their
6:44:35way. Even if he was trapped in this spot
6:44:38for a second, the golems could handle
6:44:40that in under a minute. Then reality
6:44:43seemed to twist, and Carl felt like he
6:44:45was falling, being thrown through a void
6:44:47that none of his enhanced senses could
6:44:49penetrate, a space where even time
6:44:51didn't seem to exist.
6:44:53Then it all stopped and he found himself
6:44:56looking at his own image standing in
6:44:57front of him, perfectly lifelike but
6:45:00frozen in time. Welcome to the first
6:45:03advancement trial. Please select your
6:45:05desired reward. Appeared in the air over
6:45:08the mannequin of himself. It was creepy.
6:45:12The image even had the small tear in his
6:45:15white cloak and the fresh blood that he
6:45:16had gotten during the fight. Six boxes
6:45:19appeared on the ground around his image.
6:45:22Three of them silver with diamonds, two
6:45:24larger golden boxes studded with rubies,
6:45:27and one tiny closed chest made of rich
6:45:29purple crystal. That one was wrapped in
6:45:32black chains that gave off a soft
6:45:34shadow, as if actively restraining the
6:45:36contents of the chest. Carl circled the
6:45:39ring of chests to see his options. The
6:45:42three silver chests all contained simply
6:45:44bound skill books sitting face down on
6:45:46stacks of coins. The golden chests both
6:45:50had multiple ornate skill books with
6:45:52their spines up so Carl could read them.
6:45:55Divine nullification barrier, Titanic
6:45:57Wrath, Tectonic Shift, Rebirth.
6:46:01Each of the spell books was an upgraded
6:46:03version of a spell that either one of
6:46:04his beasts or someone in the group
6:46:06specialized in. Under the books were
6:46:08bundles wrapped in cloth and hints of
6:46:11golden coins and gems. There had to be a
6:46:14catch.
6:46:15Nobody would choose a lower reward
6:46:17without an excellent reason. So why give
6:46:19the choice? Carl got the sense that he
6:46:22was being watched as he stepped up to
6:46:24the last box. It was pretty but tiny.
6:46:28What could it contain that needed to be
6:46:29chained up like that? He definitely
6:46:32shouldn't want that reward. He didn't
6:46:35even know what was in the box. But if he
6:46:37didn't know what was in the box, it
6:46:39could be anything, right? The
6:46:42announcement overhead said that this was
6:46:43called the first advancement trial. So,
6:46:47the rewards should be related to
6:46:48improving the power of the system and
6:46:50advancing his skills, which made it seem
6:46:53a bit odd that the rewards didn't seem
6:46:55to be for him. They were mostly for his
6:46:58group members. Perhaps he was choosing
6:47:00for everyone on the team. Trials and
6:47:03dungeons were supposed to be grand group
6:47:05adventures where everyone got rewards,
6:47:07but they were done as a team. Carl had
6:47:10never heard of them listing rewards in
6:47:12advance, but most of the real
6:47:14information was classified, and what was
6:47:16spread was rumors and bard stories. If
6:47:19he was choosing for the whole group,
6:47:21then none of the chests was perfect as
6:47:23an option. Five of them didn't contain
6:47:25enough for everyone to get an equal
6:47:27share, while the last one had unknown
6:47:29contents. Is there some sort of guide?
6:47:33Can I learn if I'm picking for everyone
6:47:34or just for myself? Carl asked, speaking
6:47:38aloud in the strange staging area, but
6:47:40nothing answered. Well, there wasn't
6:47:43anything else to go on in here. So, Carl
6:47:45closed his eyes and focused on the
6:47:47mental flame in the void, as brother
6:47:49Chen had taught him to meditate and
6:47:51clear his mind. Once he was certain he
6:47:54was thinking clearly, Carl opened his
6:47:55eyes again and examined the boxes once
6:47:58more before rubbing his dragon scale
6:47:59pendant for luck and touching the purple
6:48:01crystal chest. Choose tier three
6:48:04difficulty for epic rank reward.
6:48:07Y / N. The words in the air helped set
6:48:10Carl's mind at ease. Perhaps the rewards
6:48:13weren't a direct choice, but a
6:48:15representation of what you might get
6:48:16upon completion. That meant that there
6:48:19were three difficulty levels to the
6:48:21test, and this should be the highest.
6:48:24Yes. Beginning stage one, epic rank
6:48:27individual trial. The scene changed
6:48:30again, and Carl was standing on what
6:48:32looked like the battlefield that he had
6:48:34just left. Only both armies were gone.
6:48:36And it was [clears throat] just him plus
6:48:37his beasts. Thor stomped around the
6:48:40battlefield, happy to be returned to
6:48:42Carl's side after an extended stay in
6:48:44the void, while Ray quickly summoned her
6:48:46golems and prepared for a fight.
6:48:48Randomly showing up in new places had to
6:48:51mean a fight. It wasn't like she needed
6:48:53to be rescued, so it must be a reward
6:48:55for being the killiest. I don't think
6:48:58that is a word, Carl informed her. It
6:49:02should be. Trial starts in 5 seconds. At
6:49:07the distance, the battlefield began to
6:49:09change and a horde of violet skinned
6:49:11demons formed with one massive
6:49:13forearmmed leader standing among them. I
6:49:16wonder if they taste good. Hulk
6:49:18wondered. The small ones are kind of
6:49:21skinny. I might be able to eat them in
6:49:23one piece. Remy agreed. They were only a
6:49:27meter and a half tall, half her length.
6:49:29So, in theory, it might be possible, but
6:49:31even then, that would be a huge object
6:49:34for a snake her size to try to get in
6:49:36their mouth. The demons were already in
6:49:38motion, and they were insanely fast,
6:49:41nearly twice as fast as the haste
6:49:43enhanced spider golems. Carl quietly
6:49:46cursed and wondered why he had picked
6:49:48the epic difficulty. That trial
6:49:51announcement wasn't kidding. If he
6:49:53defeated this group, it was going to be
6:49:55epic, and it was only stage one. Carl
6:49:59was about to issue orders when suddenly
6:50:00the largest demon appeared in front of
6:50:02him. All four arms swinging blades at
6:50:05him. He brought up Earth Shield as a
6:50:08wall of stone and jumped backwards as
6:50:10the blades cut deep into the obstacle. A
6:50:13kick from the demon shattered the
6:50:14damaged barrier and it came after him
6:50:17again. "Ray, send the golems to assist
6:50:20me while the rest of you take care of
6:50:21the little things." Carl instructed.
6:50:25Remy climbed up on Thor's back to take
6:50:27Tessa's usual spot and began to hurl
6:50:30chain lightning into the crowd. The
6:50:33small demon scorched black with the
6:50:35damage, and when Hawk sent his fireballs
6:50:37after the lightning, multiple demons
6:50:39died, stumbling and falling face down as
6:50:41their momentum carried them forward.
6:50:44"We've got this," Thor declared,
6:50:47confident that they could keep the large
6:50:48numbers away from the leader. "Yeah,
6:50:51boss. We will fry the purple food while
6:50:54you argue with the guy who thinks he can
6:50:56be as stabby as Rey. Remy agreed. Carl
6:51:00spun his blade, parrying a round of
6:51:02attacks as the spider golems attacked.
6:51:05One landed a solid hit on a shoulder,
6:51:08but the other took a blade across a leg
6:51:10for minor damage. Then pain seared
6:51:13through Carl's arm, and Hawk screeched
6:51:15in annoyance.
6:51:17The damage spreads. If it hits one of
6:51:20us, it hits everyone. the bird
6:51:22complained.
6:51:24That was the most brutally overpowered
6:51:26skill that Carl had ever heard of. Area
6:51:29attacks were bad enough, but they
6:51:31usually spread their damage across a
6:51:33large area, doing a little to many
6:51:35targets. This skill appeared to deal
6:51:38full damage from a sword strike to
6:51:39everything nearby. The big demon smiled
6:51:42as it realized that Carl understood the
6:51:44effect of its skill, then launched a
6:51:46flurry of attacks at him, just aiming to
6:51:48do a little damage with every blade, not
6:51:50to land a single hit kill. It didn't
6:51:53have to. If it wounded him a little bit
6:51:56every time, it would wear the whole team
6:51:58down. The demon was double-jointed, and
6:52:01it could attack behind its back nearly
6:52:03as well as towards its front, leaving it
6:52:05with a minimal blind spot and no real
6:52:07defenseless side for the golems to take
6:52:09advantage of.
6:52:11But refreshing lightning helped Carl's
6:52:13team heal, and the damage was already
6:52:15fading. Four more strikes made their way
6:52:18past Carl's defense in the next 2
6:52:20seconds, and he realized that refreshing
6:52:23lightning wouldn't be enough for long.
6:52:26Skill points 11. That was enough to get
6:52:29something, Carl hoped. There were attack
6:52:32skills, but that wouldn't help much in
6:52:34the race to defeat this insane demon,
6:52:36and they might be too expensive.
6:52:39Defensive skills. 10 points. Barrier
6:52:43erects a barrier over the caster or
6:52:45targeted beast. 10 points. Bestial
6:52:48regeneration. Increases the targets
6:52:50healing rate to the level of a tier one
6:52:52regenerating beast. 10 points. Refresh.
6:52:56Constantly restores stamina. That was
6:52:59better than nothing. 10 points spent.
6:53:02Bestial regeneration acquired. Carl
6:53:05quickly cast the spell on every member
6:53:07of his team as he retreated and the
6:53:09spider golems did their best not to take
6:53:11additional damage. Tier three defensive
6:53:14skill available. Trollish regeneration
6:53:1720 points. Tier three skills activate on
6:53:21beast master and all active beasts. If
6:53:24only he had the points available for
6:53:26that right now. Carl missed another
6:53:28parry and a blade cut through both
6:53:30barriers to sink into his side, but the
6:53:32wound closed within seconds and the pain
6:53:34vanished. That was much better, but
6:53:37Tessa was going to murder him when she
6:53:39saw his armor after this fight. The
6:53:42spider golems attacked low, aiming for
6:53:44the leg joints, and the demonic boss
6:53:46stumbled. That was Carl's opportunity.
6:53:50He let his blade vanish into his mind
6:53:52and leapt forward to pin the demon's
6:53:54upper arms under his own as he wrapped
6:53:56his legs around its chest. The
6:53:58creature's face showed pure shock and
6:54:00then something that was almost rage, but
6:54:03with a heavy dose of admiration as
6:54:04spider golems hammered deep holes into
6:54:06his back. It spat up purple blood, then
6:54:10tossed Carl across the battlefield with
6:54:12its lower arms before dropping its
6:54:14blades and turning on the golems. It was
6:54:16faster with its claws than it had been
6:54:18with the blades. And even if the
6:54:20scratches mostly weren't getting through
6:54:22the Earth shield on the Golem's limbs,
6:54:24it was still doing fairly steady amounts
6:54:26of damage. But it was also bleeding
6:54:29heavily from its back and lacerate was
6:54:32preventing it from healing normally.
6:54:34Carl used every bit of his enhanced
6:54:36strength as he launched himself back
6:54:38into battle with his maul in his hands.
6:54:41It might be impossible to land a proper
6:54:43hit with the oversized weapon, but he
6:54:45didn't need to. Any contact would
6:54:48activate the layered skills, so he just
6:54:50needed the demon to catch the head of
6:54:51the weapon. Carl made his first swing,
6:54:54which the demon easily dodged. Then, he
6:54:57kicked the haft of the mall, changing
6:54:58its direction and sending it toward the
6:55:00target. The demon laughed as it caught
6:55:03the slow-moving weapon with a black
6:55:05barrier over its hand. The barrier
6:55:07shattered as flames spread out from the
6:55:09mall, burning the arm to a charred husk,
6:55:12burned nearly down to the bone. It
6:55:14howled in rage as it retreated,
6:55:16armhanging limp, but slowly
6:55:18regenerating.
6:55:20The demon was slowing down, but Carl
6:55:22didn't trust that. It had intelligence
6:55:25in its eyes. It could be placing a trap,
6:55:27looking for a sudden reversal. The golem
6:55:30circle behind it again, forcing the
6:55:33target to watch three directions at
6:55:34once. Then they all attacked in unison.
6:55:38This time it took three of its blades
6:55:40out so it didn't have to block Carl's
6:55:42weapon with its hands, but Carl stopped
6:55:44the strike short and hit it in the face
6:55:46with a cast chain lightning instead. The
6:55:49change startled the monster so much that
6:55:51it turned its head away, causing its
6:55:53block to miss a round of attacks from
6:55:55the golems. That distraction caused it
6:55:58another arm, plus a deep slice across
6:56:00its throat. It was now pouring blood
6:56:03from both new wounds, and the demon
6:56:05stumbled a little as it turned to fend
6:56:07off the golems. That put its back to
6:56:10Carl, who pounded them all into its
6:56:12spine, leaving a deeply burnt crater in
6:56:14its back and causing the demon to
6:56:15collapse into a pile of motionless
6:56:17limbs. As Rey had trained them, the
6:56:20golems relieved the demon of its head,
6:56:22which immediately vanished as the
6:56:24scenario ended, leaving Carl standing in
6:56:26an empty field again.
6:56:28First advancement trial, stage one
6:56:31complete.
6:56:32Stage two begins in 10 seconds.
6:56:35Seriously,
6:56:37Carl muttered as he saw the
6:56:38notification.
6:56:40But the notification seemed to be
6:56:42serious as the world around them was
6:56:44changing, morphing into a large cavern
6:56:46similar to the one where the dark elven
6:56:48city had been located, except that it
6:56:50was filled with glowing green pools of
6:56:52what Carl could only assume was toxic
6:56:54goo. This place does not look fun. Not
6:56:58even being green makes it look better,
6:57:00Thor noted. At first, there didn't seem
6:57:04to be any opponents here at all. They
6:57:06were just standing in a toxic field.
6:57:08Then, the monsters began to appear,
6:57:10walking up out of the glowing pools, a
6:57:13shambling wave of toxic sludgecovered
6:57:15zombies. Hawk immediately began pelting
6:57:18them with fireballs, while Remy brought
6:57:20up a blizzard, hoping to freeze them so
6:57:23they would stop advancing.
6:57:25For a moment, it seemed like it was
6:57:27going to work, and the zombies ground to
6:57:28a halt before a new boss appeared in the
6:57:30center of the largest puddle and began
6:57:32to cast spells, causing the down zombies
6:57:34to regenerate while summoning more of
6:57:36them. The boss didn't look all that
6:57:39impressive, just a sludge-covered zombie
6:57:41woman in a black dress. But the shining
6:57:43black eyes weren't vacant, and everyone
6:57:45in the group could feel the power of its
6:57:47magic. Those pools will be an issue.
6:57:51Rey, can you send the golems to deal
6:57:53with the boss? Either kill it or lure it
6:57:56out into the open where we can fight it
6:57:57properly, Carl instructed.
6:58:01Ice didn't seem to kill the zombies.
6:58:03They just froze for a bit and then
6:58:04started moving again. Setting them on
6:58:07fire was much more effective, whether it
6:58:09was fire or lightning that burned them.
6:58:12Once their head was destroyed, they
6:58:14would die, Carl noticed. Right before Ry
6:58:17came up with a zombie hunting strategy,
6:58:20firing small stones half the size of
6:58:22their heads caused the skulls to burst
6:58:24like melons and killed the zombies
6:58:27reliably in a single shot. They were
6:58:29weak, but it was beginning to look like
6:58:31they were endless, and they just kept
6:58:33coming out of the pools as the old
6:58:35bodies vanished. The golems reached the
6:58:38boss, lunging forward with their
6:58:39forlims, but the creature simply dove
6:58:41into a pool and appeared from another.
6:58:44For a split second, the golems were
6:58:46confused. Then they began to chase the
6:58:49boss around, hunting it relentlessly as
6:58:51it continued to run away. For a while,
6:58:54the game of whacka zombie seemed
6:58:55pointless. Then, one of the golems limbs
6:58:58managed to catch on the zombie queen's
6:59:00dress and throw her away from the pools.
6:59:02The panic was immediate as the zombie
6:59:05forces turned to rush at the golems, and
6:59:07the zombie queen tried to make it to
6:59:09another pool.
6:59:10Rey shadowstepped closer and surrounded
6:59:13the boss with a circular wall of stone,
6:59:15then repeatedly smashed the contents
6:59:17with a boulder from the top. "Well,
6:59:20that's a bit messy," Remy noted when she
6:59:23realized that the spider was essentially
6:59:25mashing the zombie queen. "Hawk, go
6:59:28light the remains on fire just to be
6:59:30sure," Carl added. The tube was engulfed
6:59:34in an inferno as Hawk burned the
6:59:36remains, and the zombies lost their
6:59:38guiding force, returning to a shambling
6:59:40horde that was more interested in the
6:59:42living things at Carl's end of the
6:59:43instance than defending anything. First
6:59:46advancement trial, stage two complete.
6:59:50Carl sighed in relief as he realized
6:59:52that this instance had actually favored
6:59:54his team. If he was a warrior who had to
6:59:56chase the boss through the toxic sludge,
6:59:59or a mage who had to dodge the zombies,
7:00:01it would have been a nightmare.
7:00:03But being able to control the zombies
7:00:05while the golems hunted the boss made it
7:00:07a relatively painless experience.
7:00:10For some time, the instance didn't
7:00:12change, and Carl just waited. A bit of
7:00:15time to recover between fights seemed
7:00:17like the reasonable thing for a trial to
7:00:19provide, but it was unlikely to give him
7:00:21long. 5 minutes was what it granted this
7:00:24time, and then Carl found himself
7:00:26standing in a sand floor coliseum.
7:00:29This time, he was not alone. The rest of
7:00:31his team was standing with him,
7:00:33including the five special forces
7:00:34knights. Only they were all transparent,
7:00:38as if they were the mannequins that he
7:00:40had seen at the start of the trial. 2
7:00:42minutes later, Tessa's placeholder
7:00:44turned solid, then became rather
7:00:46battered and covered in green blood
7:00:48before there was a flash of golden
7:00:49light, and it began to move. "Dragons,
7:00:53what the hell are we going to have to do
7:00:54now?" she muttered. I'm not certain, but
7:00:58it's good to see that you made it. Carl
7:01:01replied, "Oh, is that really you? Why
7:01:05are you here first?" Carl shrugged. I
7:01:09guess I finished the first two trials
7:01:11fastest.
7:01:12What did you get? A massive black
7:01:15skeletal knight and a horde of orcs. I
7:01:18picked one of the silver chests. What
7:01:20did you pick? Let me guess. You kept
7:01:23closing the gold chests until you got a
7:01:25set of skills you liked.
7:01:27she replied.
7:01:29Closing them to get a new set of rewards
7:01:31was an option. I picked the purple one.
7:01:34Tessa rolled her eyes. Do you not
7:01:37remember the last trials we were in?
7:01:40Picking the easiest option is the safest
7:01:42way forward. But how did it never occur
7:01:45to you that you could close the chests?
7:01:47The first one I touched was the purple
7:01:49one, and it asked me if I wanted to
7:01:51start an epic trial. Tessa nodded. That
7:01:55must have been a tier three trial with a
7:01:57random set of rewards.
7:02:00Of course, you couldn't resist the urge
7:02:01to touch the box that was clearly and
7:02:03obviously not meant to be safe to
7:02:05handle. One after another, the others
7:02:08arrived, none of them looking too badly
7:02:10injured. And in Dana's case, she even
7:02:13had refreshing lightning still active.
7:02:16The only one missing was Lotus, and Carl
7:02:19began to wonder if something had
7:02:20happened to the little nature priestess.
7:02:23For half an hour, they waited with no
7:02:25sign of her hologram changing. Then it
7:02:29suddenly shifted and a startled lotus
7:02:31was in front of them, sitting
7:02:32cross-legged on the ground. "Oh, hey
7:02:35guys. What's going on?" she asked.
7:02:40"We've been waiting on you to finish
7:02:42your trials."
7:02:43Carl reminded her. "Trials?
7:02:47Oh, they're starting already. I was
7:02:50playing with the box. Did you know that
7:02:52the contents change if you close the
7:02:54lid? Tessa stared at her for a few
7:02:57seconds before anyone spoke. Are you
7:03:00saying that you've been playing with the
7:03:01box for the last hour and you never did
7:03:03the first trials? The war cleric asked
7:03:06her lifelong friend. Lotus just
7:03:09shrugged.
7:03:11Well, that's one way to do it. I guess
7:03:14there is a time limit, but the rest of
7:03:16us are on trial number three, Tessa
7:03:19explained.
7:03:21Oh, sorry. I didn't realize it was a
7:03:24group thingy. All right, what are we
7:03:27doing? Is it a gladiator tournament?
7:03:30Carl shrugged. It looks like it, but I
7:03:34don't know yet. Nothing was happening
7:03:36while we waited for everyone to arrive.
7:03:39There were just those transparent
7:03:40mannequins holding our places until we
7:03:42all finished our trials. Team trial 3
7:03:46begins in 10 seconds.
7:03:48Modified difficulty increased for
7:03:50incomplete trials. Epic difficulty
7:03:53chosen. Who picked epic? The leader of
7:03:57the knights asked. Dana gestured toward
7:04:00Carl. Isn't it obvious?
7:04:03Carl did the epic version of the first
7:04:05two trials. Now we all get to do the
7:04:07epic version of the team trial. In my
7:04:10defense, I didn't know that there was
7:04:12going to be a team event at the end.
7:04:15Carl responded.
7:04:17It was too late to change anything about
7:04:18it now, even though they were going to
7:04:20have to face extra enemies at epic
7:04:22difficulty because he had let the
7:04:24intrusive thoughts win. And Lotus spent
7:04:26an hour just playing with the boxes.
7:04:28Across the arena from them, a forearmmed
7:04:30giant with shining golden armor over
7:04:32black robes appeared. The monstrous
7:04:35creature stood nearly 10 m tall, and
7:04:38Carl wondered how exactly they were
7:04:39expected to deal real damage to that.
7:04:42Its lower legs were heavily armored, and
7:04:45that was all that they could
7:04:46conveniently reach, while the rest of it
7:04:48was not showing any bare skin at all.
7:04:50Even its face was covered by a golden
7:04:52helmet. "It looks like a mage special to
7:04:55me," Tessa noted. There were soft joints
7:04:59where the armor appeared to be leather,
7:05:01but none of those were in easy reach of
7:05:03the team, except for the mages, who had
7:05:05better ranged combat abilities.
7:05:08So, this is what a modified difficulty
7:05:10epic boss looks like.
7:05:12Lotus announced, enthralled with the
7:05:14appearance of a creature that she had
7:05:16never seen before.
7:05:18Now we just need to find a way to defeat
7:05:20it because the fight is starting. Carl
7:05:23reminded her as the timer ran out. When
7:05:26the timer ended, the giant began to move
7:05:28and the group scattered. Bob and Oilia
7:05:31were headed forward, looking for an
7:05:33opening they could reach while the magic
7:05:35knights were stepping through the sky to
7:05:37hurl blade attacks at the massive
7:05:38target. Ry created a web to pull herself
7:05:42up into the bleachers away from the main
7:05:44fight and then hurled a boulder the size
7:05:46of a medicine ball at the forearmmed
7:05:48giant. The impact left a deep dent in
7:05:51the golden armor and Carl smiled as he
7:05:53realized that while it was a deadly
7:05:55opponent, it was still commander rank.
7:05:58It also wasn't double-jointed, and when
7:06:00the spider golems got on its back, it
7:06:02had to sweep up with a club to knock
7:06:04them free, which wasn't nearly as deadly
7:06:06for them as the fast purple demon had
7:06:08been.
7:06:09Rey, make a web net all around the arena
7:06:11for the knights and golems to fight
7:06:13from. Carl instructed as he realized
7:06:16what the most effective tactic was
7:06:18likely to be. If they couldn't reach
7:06:20from the ground, they wouldn't fight
7:06:22from the ground. Ry worked fast and made
7:06:25a loose net all around the arena out of
7:06:28super stretchy royal rank silk rope. The
7:06:31fighters could land on that, grab it
7:06:33with a free hand, and then use it as a
7:06:35springboard to jump at the giant when
7:06:36they saw an opening.
7:06:38Bob had superhuman strength, the same as
7:06:41Carl, and the Knights could walk on air,
7:06:43so it was an easy way for them to rest
7:06:45between attacks, and blows from the
7:06:47Titans clubs wouldn't easily ruin it.
7:06:50Carl tested the theory by taking a run
7:06:52toward the wall and jumping up on a
7:06:54completed section, then leaping off as
7:06:56he rebounded. It launched him toward the
7:06:58giant's lower right arm, which was
7:07:00hastily withdrawn to let Carl's blade
7:07:02crash into an enormous club. The chain
7:07:06lightning still spread through the
7:07:07creature's body as Carl fell to the
7:07:09ground, thrown well clear of the
7:07:11stomping feet by the impact. Not exactly
7:07:14optimal for Carl, who had plenty of his
7:07:16own ranged attacks, but good enough that
7:07:19everyone else saw what he was going for
7:07:20without having to announce it out loud.
7:07:23Once they all knew, Carl switched back
7:07:25to his bow and began aiming for the
7:07:27vulnerable joints.
7:07:29That was surprisingly easy on a target
7:07:31this large, especially when it was being
7:07:33swarmed by fighters who wanted to attack
7:07:35from close range and tortured by spells
7:07:37from their mages. One massive target
7:07:40against a team of 13 wasn't much of a
7:07:43fair fight. But the first time that one
7:07:44of the giants clubs made contact, Carl
7:07:47realized it might not be as lopsided as
7:07:49he had thought. A flick of the wrist
7:07:52caught one of the knights across the
7:07:53chest, caving in his armor and sending
7:07:55him rocketing across the arena. If it
7:07:58was not for the stretchy net that Ry had
7:08:00created, his journey would have ended
7:08:02with a splat against the stone seating.
7:08:04But instead, he bounced off and fell to
7:08:06the ground, coughing blood before
7:08:08falling unconscious.
7:08:10Doug was at his side within seconds,
7:08:12engulfing him in a wave of green healing
7:08:14magic and peeling his armor open so the
7:08:16chest cavity could be healed. With the
7:08:19dented plate in place, the repairs
7:08:21couldn't be made, and the knight wasn't
7:08:23conscious to remove it himself. Doug
7:08:25gave a thumbs up to the group as he
7:08:27finished the emergency work and dragged
7:08:29the knight into an al cove along the
7:08:30arena's wall where he was unlikely to be
7:08:33hit by any more attacks. Bob was their
7:08:36next casualty when a club shattered his
7:08:38arm and destroyed his shield, sending
7:08:40him into the net right above his
7:08:41brother, who caught him on the way down
7:08:43and placed him gently on the ground. The
7:08:46target was bleeding profusely from what
7:08:48looked like a hundred different wounds,
7:08:50but they were still closing despite the
7:08:52effects of lacerate. And the battle was
7:08:54grinding on with the human team slowly
7:08:57losing energy. Thor wasn't certain what
7:09:00to do. He couldn't charge. The giant was
7:09:03too big. He just had to stand there with
7:09:06Tessa on his back and keep the buffs up
7:09:08on everyone. Being the support was
7:09:10important. proud work, but he did like
7:09:13it so much better when he could smash
7:09:14things. Carl aimed high, trying to
7:09:18distract the giant with chain lightning
7:09:20to the face, but with pure dumb luck,
7:09:23the first arrow flew straight through
7:09:24the gap in the visor, impaling one of
7:09:26the giant's eyes and sending electricity
7:09:28crackling across the helmet. It flailed
7:09:31wildly, now blind on one side, and the
7:09:34knights moved to take advantage. A
7:09:37flurry of spells hit the giant's blind
7:09:39side, crippling two of its limbs and
7:09:41tearing great chunks from its armor.
7:09:44From there, the end was clear, or so
7:09:46they thought. The giant surged with
7:09:49power, and a wave of force erupted from
7:09:51its body, throwing everyone away and
7:09:53shattering most of their barriers. The
7:09:56shock wave raced toward Carl, who was
7:09:58between the giant and Doug, who was
7:10:00still working on Bob's arm. Carl brought
7:10:03up Earth Shield as a wall, hoping to
7:10:06deflect the worst of the damage and keep
7:10:08the healer safe. But it didn't last
7:10:10long, shattered to rubble by the force
7:10:12of the blast. Everyone was at ground
7:10:15level now, and the giant looked like it
7:10:17would collapse at any second. But the
7:10:19power was surging again. Golems, remove
7:10:22the head. It's trying to self-destruct.
7:10:26Carl instructed.
7:10:28Ray summoned a new pair and began
7:10:30building little stone domes over the
7:10:32groups of elites on the ground as Carl
7:10:34retreated to Doug's side to do the same
7:10:36for the wounded. The air trembled with
7:10:38power as the next eruption peaked and
7:10:40then it was gone as were all the stone
7:10:42barriers and other spell effects,
7:10:44leaving the group standing in an empty
7:10:46coliseum.
7:10:48First advancement trial complete.
7:10:50Calculating rewards.
7:10:53Many of the group members had assumed
7:10:54that they would get the reward they had
7:10:56chosen at the start, the one in the
7:10:58chest. So they wondered what there was
7:10:59to calculate unless it was an additional
7:11:02reward for the team effort. J. But that
7:11:05thought was secondary to most of them as
7:11:07their armor was heavily damaged and
7:11:09every bone in their body was either
7:11:10broken or aching after that area attack.
7:11:14It was a good thing that the battles
7:11:15were over because they were going to
7:11:16need more than a few minutes to recover.
7:11:18Even with the two healing specialty
7:11:20clerics on hand to assist Thor's
7:11:22refreshing lightning reward calculated.
7:11:26Enhanced epic rank team trial
7:11:28successful.
7:11:3010% bonus added to all rewards.
7:11:33Everyone stared at the reward
7:11:35announcement visible in the air above
7:11:37the arena's sand. A 10% bonus for a
7:11:40third trial.
7:11:42Somehow I feel a bit cheated. Bob sighed
7:11:45as he gingerely flexed the fingers on
7:11:47his freshly repaired arm. Then the
7:11:50awards appeared. In front of each of the
7:11:53members, except Lotus, sat two silver
7:11:56chests, one small purple box, and a
7:11:58leather bag. Lotus only had the purple
7:12:01box and a smaller bag. Oh, it's 10% on
7:12:05top of the epic reward for the third
7:12:07trial. I take back any and all
7:12:10criticisms I might have been thinking.
7:12:12Bob amended.
7:12:14Lotus giggled. I don't think it counts
7:12:17if you only take it back after you got
7:12:19the reward. The silver chests were
7:12:21quickly opened, and Lotus sighed as she
7:12:24realized that her fun playing with the
7:12:25boxes meant that she didn't actually get
7:12:27them in the end, but she did get a
7:12:30pretty purple one, and that was the one
7:12:32that she hadn't dared to mess with in
7:12:33the waiting room. Now, there was no
7:12:36chain around it, but she waited with
7:12:38Carl while the others opened their
7:12:39chests and removed a pair of skill
7:12:41books, plus a load of coins and gems.
7:12:44There were no magical rings or other
7:12:46items in there, only precious metals and
7:12:48gems, but the skill books were the real
7:12:51treasures. There was one in each silver
7:12:53chest, and both were different skills.
7:12:56Only, there didn't seem to be any
7:12:58organization as to who got what skill,
7:13:00as Carl could see that Dana had a blade
7:13:03skill and a combat form, while Oilia had
7:13:05a druid type dire bear transformation
7:13:07spell and a toxic claw skill. On second
7:13:10thought, a berserk terror enhanced dire
7:13:13bear was a terrifying thought. They made
7:13:16war bears look like they were half grown
7:13:18to start with, and with the additional
7:13:20size from the skill, she would be nearly
7:13:22as large as Thor's regular size. Two of
7:13:25the knights looked at the books in their
7:13:27stack and then reached out to trade
7:13:29them. But the moment that someone else's
7:13:31hand touched them, they reappeared in
7:13:33their original chest. That is unusual.
7:13:37Does that mean we're intended to learn
7:13:38what we were given? Morgana asked as she
7:13:41looked at the toxic swamp and painful
7:13:44gaze spells that she had been given.
7:13:47None of the skills were extremely rare
7:13:49or powerful as expected from the silver
7:13:51chest which had displayed only books
7:13:53with simple covers. However, none of
7:13:56them were skills that the user already
7:13:58had. Dana activated her two books and
7:14:02they vanished as she grinned like a mad
7:14:03woman. Now I just need to learn some
7:14:06movement skills and I will be able to
7:14:08fight like the knights. Learning combat
7:14:11forms from a book is so much better than
7:14:13doing it the conventional way," she
7:14:16declared. When he looked at it that way,
7:14:19Carl realized that it was not giving
7:14:21them skills that should help with their
7:14:22current talents, but ones that would
7:14:24help shape them in the future. It seemed
7:14:27that Dana would become more of a battle
7:14:28mage while Oilia was treading the path
7:14:31of the druid with a transformation that
7:14:33was becoming even more bestial. Open
7:14:35your first two boxes and let's see what
7:14:38the epic trials granted you as a bonus.
7:14:41Tessa demanded
7:14:43that made sense as everyone would be
7:14:45able to open their last box at the same
7:14:47time so Lotus wouldn't be left out at
7:14:49the end. Carl carefully flipped open the
7:14:52lid on the first small box as Doug made
7:14:54a drum roll on the metal plates of Bob's
7:14:56armor. Carl opened the first chest and
7:14:59the amethyst box vanished in a burst of
7:15:01golden holy light, leaving behind an
7:15:03ornate skill book. Book of Evolution
7:15:07permanently causes any bonded pet to
7:15:09evolve into a form one rank higher than
7:15:11when the skill is used. Usable once per
7:15:14beast, some materials may be required.
7:15:17That was a skill that was in Carl's
7:15:19skill tree for a whopping 50 points,
7:15:22five times what it had cost him to get,
7:15:24bestial regeneration.
7:15:26He had been intending to work toward it
7:15:28for some time, as it would be the most
7:15:29important possible skill to allow his
7:15:31beasts to break their limits and reach
7:15:33levels above royal, but the price was
7:15:35ridiculous.
7:15:37That skill, "Holy crap," Bob muttered,
7:15:42"Right. If it wasn't once per beast, it
7:15:45would be worldbreaking. But even this
7:15:47will be huge. This is a skill that I saw
7:15:50as available to my class in another
7:15:52trial, but I hadn't managed to obtain
7:15:54it. Carl explained, not wanting to get
7:15:57sidetracked with an in-depth discussion
7:15:59of how the system appeared to him. Carl
7:16:02opened the book and it vanished, leaving
7:16:04him with a new skill and real options to
7:16:06keep his beasts advancing even if their
7:16:08power stalled. All right, so the silver
7:16:11chest is one skill and some loot. The
7:16:14epic chest is an overpowered skill.
7:16:17It looks like we're all in luck today,"
7:16:19Tessa noted as Carl prepared to open the
7:16:21next chest. The same golden light
7:16:24flashed from the chest when Carl opened
7:16:26the second epic rank reward. And again,
7:16:28there was a skill book. The book
7:16:31vanished in Carl's hands the moment he
7:16:33thought of opening it, and a second
7:16:35skill appeared in his mind. Best Raymond
7:16:38grants the user armor suitable to their
7:16:40current environment. The armor will be
7:16:43of epic quality and of their current
7:16:44rank.
7:16:46I wonder what sort of standard epic
7:16:48quality is, he asked. What do you mean?
7:16:52Doug asked. The skill is bestial
7:16:56raignment or beast armor for us less
7:16:58fancy folk. It creates armor at my rank
7:17:01of epic quality. Carl explained, then
7:17:04switched armor from his battered main
7:17:06gear to the suit provided by the spell.
7:17:09What he got was a mostly black scale
7:17:11bodysuit with hard kiten plates over all
7:17:13the vital areas and a black and white
7:17:15tabard hanging over the top. The colors
7:17:18split vertically. As he recalled, Prince
7:17:21Corbin had said in the dungeon that
7:17:22those tabards were the mark of the dark
7:17:24light host. The ancient cult or
7:17:27religious organization, depending on who
7:17:29you asked, that followed the world
7:17:31dragon. Carl shifted and found that the
7:17:34scales moved like the softest of silk,
7:17:36flowing with his body, while the plates
7:17:38were as secure as if they were attached
7:17:40to him, not shifting or bouncing at all
7:17:42as he moved. "It's comfortable. I will
7:17:45give it that much," he explained as he
7:17:48examined the armor itself to see the
7:17:50bonuses that it would grant him. There
7:17:53were unfamiliar stats among them. Number
7:17:55bonuses to strength, constitution, and
7:17:57agility instead of percentages.
7:18:00Then percentage based bonuses to various
7:18:02types of elemental and magic damage,
7:18:04life steal on hit, and a durability
7:18:07percentage for the armor that was
7:18:08currently at 100%.
7:18:10I wish you could cast that on everyone.
7:18:13It would save me so much work," Tessa
7:18:16sighed as she took in the state of
7:18:18everyone's armor after the last fight.
7:18:20"Well, at least it's one less suit to do
7:18:24because mine is trashed again. The
7:18:27repair teams in the camp are not going
7:18:28to be happy with us when we get back.
7:18:31Carl laughed.
7:18:33So, do we just open the last one all at
7:18:35once and see who gets the best loot from
7:18:37the final boss? They should all be from
7:18:40the same fight except maybe Carl's since
7:18:43we don't know what order they were in.
7:18:45Lotus asked eagerly. That sounds like a
7:18:48plan. Everyone prepared to open the
7:18:51boxes on the count of three. All 13 of
7:18:55the elite reward boxes were opened at
7:18:57once, and the golden light rose to a
7:18:59level that blinded everyone's senses.
7:19:02Even Carl's thermal vision couldn't see
7:19:04anything. Then they were in a new
7:19:06setting, all of them together, sitting
7:19:08on the ground in front of a massive
7:19:10golden chest. "Well, that is new.
7:19:14Perhaps it's a group prize for the group
7:19:16fight," Carl suggested. "That's not the
7:19:20most insane thought that I had when I
7:19:21saw it." Lotus agreed. The beasts had
7:19:25been forcibly relocated back into their
7:19:27spaces and were currently trapped as
7:19:30Remy found out when she tried to leave
7:19:32to go explore the huge metal box. Lotus
7:19:35was practically vibrating with
7:19:37excitement far beyond even the curiosity
7:19:39of Remy. So Tessa pushed her forward,
7:19:41letting the nature priestess be the one
7:19:43to open the giant box. Of course, she
7:19:46had to climb it first as she couldn't
7:19:48reach the lid, but anyone else in the
7:19:50group would have had to do the same.
7:19:53Once she got near the top, she found a
7:19:55good foothold on a larger decoration and
7:19:57wedged the bottom of her staff into the
7:19:59joint to pry the lid up. However, it was
7:20:02not a multi-tonon solid gold box, but a
7:20:05magic reward chest, and it opened with
7:20:07the slightest of effort, sending Lotus
7:20:09tumbling down into Tessa's waiting arms.
7:20:12I knew you were going to fall off the
7:20:14box. The war cleric laughed. They backed
7:20:18away and the box unfolded into a large
7:20:20golden platform with a spinning prize
7:20:22wheel in the center. All of the sectors
7:20:25had question marks on them, making the
7:20:27knights and most of Carl's team glare at
7:20:29the random reward mechanism in
7:20:30annoyance. Couldn't it just tell them
7:20:33what they were getting? Or was there
7:20:35some sort of luck involved? Luck was a
7:20:38very real factor, and they all
7:20:40[clears throat] carried holy stones and
7:20:41charms to increase their own. But it
7:20:43really came down to who had the most
7:20:45favor of the world dragon. Is one of you
7:20:48particularly favored among the gods? I
7:20:51would guess one of the high clerics the
7:20:53female knight asked. Actually, the one
7:20:56with the world dragon's luck is Carl.
7:20:59The rest of us were drawn into his
7:21:01nonsense.
7:21:03Tessa explained. The knight nodded her
7:21:06head. I can see how that would happen.
7:21:09He's certainly not the average elite, so
7:21:11there was bound to be something else
7:21:13favoring him. It also means I get to
7:21:16take the blame when they don't approve
7:21:17of the outcomes. So, I guess I will be
7:21:19the one spinning the wheel. Carl agreed.
7:21:23The others laughed and motioned him
7:21:25forward. Even Lotus, who Carl knew
7:21:27secretly really wanted to spin the
7:21:29wheel. He didn't torture the little
7:21:31cleric any longer, heading straight for
7:21:33the wheel, which felt warm in his hand
7:21:35when he grabbed one of the pegs to give
7:21:37it a spin. There was an arrow-shaped
7:21:40ticker at the bottom, marking the
7:21:41location of the winning prize, while the
7:21:43wheel itself extended far above Carl's
7:21:45head. "All right, here we go." Carl gave
7:21:49the wheel a spin, and the ticker began
7:21:52rapidly clicking away as the pegs flew
7:21:54by. The bearings must have been well
7:21:56greased, Carl thought, as the wheel just
7:21:59kept spinning for most of a minute
7:22:00before slowing to a stop. The clicking
7:22:03got slower and slower, headed for one of
7:22:05many anonymous spots on the wheel. Then
7:22:08Lotus darted forward and grabbed the
7:22:10wheel in an attempt to drag it to a
7:22:12stop. But that wasn't happening, and the
7:22:15wheel simply carried her up into the air
7:22:17before coming to rest on a prize with
7:22:19one final click. Lotus looked down,
7:22:22confused.
7:22:24That wasn't how wheels worked. If you
7:22:27made them heavy on one side, the heavy
7:22:29side ended up on the bottom.
7:22:31She was 100% certain of that. Prize
7:22:35confirmed appeared in the air between
7:22:37Carl and the rest of the group as he
7:22:38gently removed the cleric from the wheel
7:22:40and returned to the others. Shared prize
7:22:43awarded 3 months peak rate growth. There
7:22:47was a pause as everyone tried to
7:22:48understand what they were being given.
7:22:51What sort of reward was that? How did
7:22:54one even measure what 3 months worth of
7:22:56growth would be? And how would it even
7:22:57be awarded? New knowledge of how to use
7:23:00his skills entered Carl's mind as golden
7:23:02light began to glow from the box. It
7:23:05engulfed the group for a few seconds and
7:23:07then faded again, but left everyone
7:23:10feeling energized and enlightened. As
7:23:12the reward bonus settled in, a
7:23:14surprising realization came to Carl's
7:23:16mind. He had what he needed to advance.
7:23:20He had a royal rank skill of his own, a
7:23:23royal rank pet, and more than enough
7:23:25stored energy to make the conversion. He
7:23:28even knew how to break the bottleneck
7:23:29smoothly. How much of the three months
7:23:32that would have taken him on his own was
7:23:34a mystery. But one thing that he knew
7:23:36for certain was that Hawk was not happy.
7:23:39He wasn't far from advancing, and Carl
7:23:41had stolen his spot in line because the
7:23:43rewards only went to him and not to all
7:23:45of them. They would get their share
7:23:47after Carl advanced, both in excess
7:23:49energy and in the improved spaces that
7:23:51would come as a result of his
7:23:53advancement. But those were minor
7:23:54details in the mind of Hawk. Carl wasn't
7:23:57the only one that was enjoying an
7:23:59advancement, though. Dana and Oilia were
7:24:02both surging with power, and Lotus was
7:24:04glowing with a happy green light. That
7:24:06had to mean she had made it to commander
7:24:08rank. The clergy were going to freak out
7:24:10when they met High Priestess Lotus, and
7:24:13it was going to be spectacular.
7:24:15The effects slowly faded, and the group
7:24:17began to pay attention to more than what
7:24:19was going on with themselves.
7:24:21Damn it, I'm so close. I can taste it.
7:24:24Bob muttered as the last of the glowing
7:24:26light faded to nothingness. I take it
7:24:29you got caught at the bottleneck. Carl
7:24:32asked. Bob nodded inside. I am missing
7:24:36something and I can feel the lingering
7:24:38buildup of energy, but I don't have
7:24:40something that I need to break the
7:24:41bottleneck and move on to royal rank. I
7:24:44think it might just be practical
7:24:46experience with my new skills that will
7:24:48let me move on. Or perhaps I just don't
7:24:51have a skill that's quite good enough
7:24:52yet, and I need to master one of my
7:24:54stronger ones. But either way, I think
7:24:57it's just a matter of practice now. The
7:25:00five knights all nodded in agreement.
7:25:03We're not quite that far yet, but I'm
7:25:05certainly close to the bottleneck and
7:25:07about to start looking for a way to
7:25:08break it. With this sort of bump, we
7:25:11might not need to use the resource stack
7:25:13to break through. Carl was familiar with
7:25:16that. It was a combination that burned
7:25:19out the elitees potential to get them
7:25:21past the bottleneck. Either they would
7:25:23be royal rank forever, or they might
7:25:25even shoot into the monarch or overlord
7:25:27ranks and then stay there. It would be a
7:25:30shame for elites as talented as these
7:25:32ones to take that way out. They didn't
7:25:35seem like the sorts that had built their
7:25:36foundation on resource abuse, so they
7:25:39should have the potential to get through
7:25:40the bottleneck on their own. The
7:25:42familiar text of the announcements
7:25:44appeared below the prize notification.
7:25:47Speak the word. Depart to leave the
7:25:49first advancement trial. Before we
7:25:51leave, we should prepare to be attacked.
7:25:54There was still a battle going on when
7:25:56we entered, so there are likely hill
7:25:58giants nearby, and we don't know which
7:26:00side will be holding the area around the
7:26:02exit. Carl reminded them as everyone
7:26:05prepared to get moving. Once they were
7:26:07in formation, Carl tapped Lotus on the
7:26:10shoulder and she spoke the magic words.
7:26:13We would like to depart, please. so
7:26:16polite. The notice appeared in the air
7:26:19below the other notices. And then they
7:26:21were standing on the battlefield, next
7:26:23to the portal, and in the middle of a
7:26:24fight between the teachers who were
7:26:26guarding the entrance and the hill
7:26:27giants who were determined to break
7:26:29through. Time to work, everyone. Show
7:26:32them what you've got, Carl instructed.
7:26:35There was a large group of ascended
7:26:37rankill giants to Carl's left until he
7:26:40hit them with a royal rank shred layered
7:26:42with lacerate.
7:26:44Those that it didn't kill outright were
7:26:46severely maimed and bleeding heavily,
7:26:48even missing limbs from the brutal ark
7:26:50of energy. The hill giants scattered as
7:26:53they realized that there was a royal
7:26:54rank elite on this portion of the line,
7:26:57doing their best to get out of his line
7:26:58of sight while they fought their way to
7:27:00the trial entrance. "What's the
7:27:02situation?"
7:27:04Carl asked as he moved next to one of
7:27:06the mage class teachers who had come to
7:27:08reinforce the portal area. The hill
7:27:10giants knew that the portal would open.
7:27:13We don't know how they knew, but it
7:27:15sounds like that was the reason they
7:27:16were attacking. One group of hill giants
7:27:19made it into the trial, but they haven't
7:27:21come out yet, and we've got the rest of
7:27:23them pushed back now, the teacher
7:27:26explained. How did we find out that they
7:27:29knew? Carl asked. "That seemed like
7:27:32important intelligence that should have
7:27:34been shared in advance if they had it."
7:27:37The giant celebrated that they were the
7:27:38first ones to open a trial. A number of
7:27:41us among the academy speakill giant. He
7:27:45explained
7:27:46crap. If that is why they're attacking
7:27:49the border to create a conflict that
7:27:51will open a trial, this war just got a
7:27:53lot more chaotic. The rewards in there
7:27:56were powerful.
7:27:58Very powerful. If the hill giants get
7:28:01control of a few of those trials, their
7:28:03combat power is going to skyrocket.
7:28:06I recommend that we send a team of
7:28:08students so we can build up our total
7:28:09number of commanders and once we can
7:28:12send another team of commanders in ones
7:28:14as close to the bottleneck as possible.
7:28:17If my team had been closer to the
7:28:19bottleneck, we might have had more royal
7:28:21rank fighters coming out just now
7:28:23instead of a team of strong commanders.
7:28:26Carl explained, "We sent a team of
7:28:28ascended rank students with a pair of
7:28:30commander rank leaders from the
7:28:32defensive lines near the anomaly in as
7:28:34soon as your team came out. It wouldn't
7:28:36let anyone else in until then. Either
7:28:39the limit is two teams or one team from
7:28:41each species," the mage explained.
7:28:45From overhead, Carl heard Hawk mentally
7:28:48laughing as he formed flaming bird
7:28:50shaped fireballs and hurled them into
7:28:52the hill giant ranks. They exploded in
7:28:55grand style, sending out a
7:28:57spherical-shaped ren attack instead of
7:28:59shrapnel, and they were tearing holes in
7:29:01the offensive line. That's quite the
7:29:04combination.
7:29:06Carl commended him. They make beautiful
7:29:09explosions after I added rend to them.
7:29:12Just fire was all right, but it was a
7:29:14bit lacking. Now they're perfect. It was
7:29:18a bit like a shotgun as the rend effect
7:29:20wasn't quite solid and seemed to flay
7:29:23everything it hit with hundreds of light
7:29:24wounds. There was no deep penetration,
7:29:27just the shredded surface and the burns
7:29:29from the actual fireball explosion. Carl
7:29:33heard swearing behind him and saw that
7:29:35there was a whole team of commander
7:29:36rankill giants pushing out from the
7:29:38trial while another team ran in between
7:29:40them headed inside. It had happened too
7:29:43suddenly to stop them, and the newly
7:29:45advanced team was retreating to
7:29:47consolidate their gains. As soon as they
7:29:50were in, the entrance seemed to change,
7:29:52turning from a solid distortion to
7:29:54something much more transparent, the way
7:29:56it had looked before Carl and his team
7:29:58had entered. The teachers pushed forward
7:30:00to check, sending a team to walk through
7:30:03it and out the other side.
7:30:05As soon as the hill giants saw that,
7:30:07they retreated a little. No longer
7:30:09trying to claim the portal, but staying
7:30:11close enough to allow their participants
7:30:13to rejoin their team safely. Professor,
7:30:16we should form lines on our side of the
7:30:18portal for now and hold. I think it will
7:30:21reduce casualties.
7:30:23Carl offered. The professor shot Carl a
7:30:26dirty look, but Carl just shrugged and
7:30:28continued to pick vulnerable targets for
7:30:30his arrows. He was only aiming for
7:30:33giants attacking elites who were in
7:30:35trouble. Doing his best to minimize
7:30:37losses and strain on the clerics. But
7:30:40keeping this offensive up when they
7:30:41couldn't even send another team into the
7:30:43portal was a waste. If they went to
7:30:45their own side, the giants most likely
7:30:48would not follow until their team was
7:30:49coming out. The teachers conferred on
7:30:52battle strategy for a half a minute,
7:30:54then began sounding the retreat to bring
7:30:56the lines back to their side of the
7:30:58portal. Immediately, a tense ceasefire
7:31:01began with both sides easily in
7:31:03attacking range for their ranged
7:31:05abilities, but nobody doing anything as
7:31:07they waited for their teams to come back
7:31:09out of the trial. Carl had to admit, if
7:31:12the hill giants knew that they could
7:31:13trigger this first advancement trial by
7:31:15fighting with the humans along the
7:31:17border, it was a brilliant strategy to
7:31:19try to push a few more of their numbers
7:31:20over the breakpoint and into royal rank.
7:31:23It was a shame that the human side
7:31:25wouldn't manage to get many more royal
7:31:27rank fighters, but none of them had
7:31:29expected the trial to close so quickly.
7:31:32From what the teachers were saying, most
7:31:34instances were either first come, first
7:31:36served, or they were open for exact
7:31:38days. Whether that was one day, 7 days,
7:31:42or 28 days was a mystery the first time,
7:31:45but it was almost always precise.
7:31:48So, this four team limit didn't make
7:31:50sense to anyone on either side. And now
7:31:52they were left wondering what to do
7:31:54about it. The next team out was the
7:31:56human team who raced back to the lines,
7:31:59quietly celebrating their success while
7:32:01the academy forces retreated. If the
7:32:03hill giants got a royal rank advancement
7:32:06out of the trial, they didn't want to be
7:32:07too close to the action. Worse, they
7:32:10might have prepared a whole team right
7:32:12at the advancement point. And although
7:32:14they had only sent a five-person team
7:32:16instead of the 10 that the humans did,
7:32:18it would still be a massacre if all five
7:32:20of them came out at royal rank. The
7:32:22tension continued to rise until the hill
7:32:25giant team exited the trial and made
7:32:26their way back to their own lines. They
7:32:29were up by one royal rankill giant, an
7:32:32even gain compared to the humans, and
7:32:34apparently not as good as they were
7:32:35hoping for as the force immediately
7:32:38began to retreat. Once the chaos of the
7:32:41battle had subsided, Carl realized that
7:32:43a significant amount of time had passed
7:32:45while they were inside the trials, and
7:32:47the night shift was about to start their
7:32:48rotation on the line. It was strange to
7:32:51think that so much time had elapsed
7:32:53since the start of the trial, when the
7:32:55second group had only taken a few hours
7:32:57at the most, but the son's position
7:32:59didn't lie. Carl was waiting and
7:33:02watching to ensure that the hill giants
7:33:04didn't try to push their luck in return
7:33:06when a friendly hand patted him on the
7:33:08shoulder. You can return to camp for
7:33:10dinner. The next shift is here. I think
7:33:14that the administration staff are going
7:33:16to want to talk to you as well after
7:33:17that incident with the trial. It appears
7:33:20that your team got some pretty serious
7:33:22rewards and they are all excited. The
7:33:25soldier informed him. Carl chuckled at
7:33:28the man's gift for understatement and
7:33:30nodded his head. I will return to the
7:33:33line once I have upgraded shields for
7:33:35the pike line. As soon as they switch, I
7:33:38will give them a layer of earth shield,
7:33:40then call it a night, Carl explained.
7:33:44The soldiers lined up and raised the
7:33:46large rectangular shields of the shield
7:33:48wall, which remained on the line until
7:33:50they were damaged. Earth shield
7:33:52incoming. Carl shouted as he cast the
7:33:55spell, then moved down the line again,
7:33:58as he had earlier in the day. That
7:34:00should keep them through the night, or
7:34:02at least through the first few hits of
7:34:04an engagement if there was something
7:34:05happening during the night shift. The
7:34:08Hill Giants didn't normally attack at
7:34:10night, but they had been particularly
7:34:11upset today with the abbreviated trial,
7:34:14where both sides had only gotten two
7:34:15teams through. The giants were going to
7:34:18want to punish the humans for taking two
7:34:20of the available four slots and not even
7:34:22using half of them to try for a royal
7:34:24rank fighter, but instead stacking their
7:34:26number of commanders instead. But what
7:34:29the academy knew was that the faster you
7:34:31progressed while you were young, the
7:34:32further an elite could go before they
7:34:34hit the limits of their potential. It
7:34:37seemed to decline with time and
7:34:38readministering the serum didn't help
7:34:40refresh it. So pushing students to
7:34:43commander still made it more likely that
7:34:45they would get to royal rank and it was
7:34:47a better deal for the academy if those
7:34:49opportunities were given to students
7:34:50than to teachers whose peak growth years
7:34:52had already passed. But they had another
7:34:55issue today, and that was that one of
7:34:57the students really did make it to royal
7:34:59rank, namely Carl. They should have
7:35:03known better than to think that the news
7:35:05of Ry advancing wouldn't bring an
7:35:06immediate response from the higher
7:35:08powers. The academy, the Bureau of Elite
7:35:11Development, the church, and the army
7:35:13all had ranking members stationed here.
7:35:15But that wasn't enough for this
7:35:17unprecedented situation.
7:35:19Rumors were already flying that his
7:35:21assigned group had produced two other
7:35:22unregistered commanders plus two high
7:35:24priestesses. But the power that Morgana
7:35:27and Bob were showing when they returned
7:35:28to the lines after the trial had
7:35:30everyone wondering how long it would be
7:35:32before they also made royal rank. So
7:35:35more influential members had been sent
7:35:37from every possible facet of Golden
7:35:38Dragon Nation society, including
7:35:41reporters and a government press
7:35:42officer. They had all arrived in the
7:35:45last hour while the second team was in
7:35:47the trials with the hope that they would
7:35:49have an entire team of commanders added
7:35:51to the academyy's population in addition
7:35:53to the confused reports of Carl and
7:35:55Ray's advancement.
7:35:57Carl followed the camp workers
7:35:58directions to a secondary dining hall
7:36:01where he found his expanded group along
7:36:03with the other 10 elites who had been
7:36:04sent as the second group. I would like
7:36:07to say that nobody expects the Holy
7:36:09Inquisition, but this time their
7:36:11presence was entirely predictable.
7:36:13Carl greeted the group at the table
7:36:15beside his as he took a seat. Brother
7:36:18Carl, it's good to see you advanced
7:36:20again. A royal rank inquisitor replied
7:36:23with a smile. Carl nodded politely, then
7:36:26looked around the room to see if there
7:36:28were any familiar faces among the
7:36:29guests. There was a high priestess of
7:36:32the nature god who he remembered from
7:36:34when they signed the contract to work as
7:36:36a team. She giggled at him and waved as
7:36:38he looked her way, which made Carl laugh
7:36:41along with her. The nature clerics had
7:36:43to think that it was hilarious that
7:36:45Lotus was now a high priestess. Even if
7:36:47the thought of her in charge of anything
7:36:49horrified the rest of the clergy. Other
7:36:52than that, some of the politicians
7:36:54looked vaguely familiar. They might have
7:36:56been part of the groups trying to
7:36:58recruit him at commander rank a few
7:36:59months back. It made sense that some of
7:37:02them would be the same as they were
7:37:04originally sent to try to talk to Prince
7:37:06Corbin when he had reached the academy.
7:37:08One of the politicians in an expensive
7:37:10looking suit stood to address the room.
7:37:13Now that we're all here, I would like to
7:37:15congratulate you all on your
7:37:16advancements.
7:37:18Today, we recognize 14 new commanders,
7:37:21four of which are from the church's
7:37:22ranks and 12 of which are still
7:37:24students. He began. Carl looked over at
7:37:28the other group and realized that there
7:37:30was a white robed priest and an annoyed
7:37:32looking blue dragon cleric with them.
7:37:35Why they had a cleric from the god of
7:37:36knowledge seemed fairly obvious to Carl
7:37:39as everyone wanted to know what the
7:37:40anomaly was, but they normally didn't
7:37:43specialize in healing or group buffs, so
7:37:45they were rarely sent to combat. They
7:37:48could do it, but their skills might be
7:37:49rusty as they spent all their time in
7:37:51the library and inscription rooms. At
7:37:54least she should have had refreshing
7:37:56lightning for her solo trials. We also
7:38:00recognize a new prince of the nation,
7:38:02and as is tradition, we would like for
7:38:04the prince to choose one cause to assist
7:38:06with his influence.
7:38:08The politician continued.
7:38:10Carl could see that most of the other
7:38:12factions representatives were rolling
7:38:14their eyes, but Carl smiled politely
7:38:16back at him and rose to his feet. I have
7:38:19been thinking about that issue since I
7:38:21advanced to commander rank, and I
7:38:23believe that I have an answer already. I
7:38:25would like to devote my time to
7:38:27increasing the individual combat power
7:38:29of the elites. I believe everyone here
7:38:32has the clearance to know that I have
7:38:33already donated a number of skill books
7:38:35to the inscriptionists and I have
7:38:37assisted a number of our barbarians in
7:38:39gaining a powerful new rage type skill.
7:38:42That is what I plan to continue. I will
7:38:45spend my leisure time looking for signs
7:38:46of relics or other methods that can be
7:38:48spread among the elites to give us an
7:38:50advantage over those who would seek to
7:38:52harm us. Carl announced that would
7:38:55almost certainly have a dozen groups
7:38:57pushing for some of his time. But it
7:38:59didn't devote all of his efforts to one
7:39:01faction. But as he had advanced and had
7:39:04been force-fed information from the
7:39:05final trial reward, many things had
7:39:08become clear to Carl. One of them was
7:39:10that he simply lacked the skills to
7:39:12share all of his skills. What if he
7:39:15could teach someone else to have a beast
7:39:17base? Wouldn't that make for even more
7:39:19overpowered elites? If it didn't work on
7:39:22other elites, maybe it would work on
7:39:24some of the soldiers. Or if he could
7:39:27teach more people the higher ranked
7:39:28skills that he was sure to learn in the
7:39:30future. Even just finding time to make
7:39:33books for the new skills he could use
7:39:35would be huge for the clergy library.
7:39:37Not even Lacerate had a proper skill
7:39:39book for it yet, and Rey had learned
7:39:41that from an elite. Did you have more
7:39:44that you could teach the elites? One of
7:39:46the inquisitors asked. I believe that
7:39:49with a bit of time I can create a book
7:39:51of lacerate
7:39:53that should be useful to dozens of
7:39:54warriors and rogues. After that I will
7:39:58have to see if there are any other
7:39:59abilities that can be easily shared.
7:40:02Carl explained
7:40:04that was enough to get most of the
7:40:05people in the room excited. Everyone
7:40:08loved a chance to make the elites more
7:40:10powerful and that one skill book would
7:40:12be enough to ensure that Carl was not a
7:40:14name that was easily forgotten among his
7:40:16peers.
7:40:17The politician continued once Carl
7:40:19returned to his seat. There will be
7:40:22formal testing at a later date should
7:40:24there be any doubts about your
7:40:25advancements, but as of today, all of
7:40:27the advancements have been certified
7:40:29through informal testing by the clergy
7:40:31and government authorities.
7:40:33New uniforms will be available to all of
7:40:35our new commanders, and if Prince Carl
7:40:37will rise, the Inquisition has won the
7:40:40lottery to present your royal cape."
7:40:42Carl stood and the royal rank member of
7:40:45the Inquisition rose with him holding a
7:40:47box he had taken out from under the
7:40:48table. It was a simple black robe with
7:40:51gold trim that went well with the
7:40:53commander rank black suit and it
7:40:55attached across his chest with a heavy
7:40:56golden chain bearing the twin dragon
7:40:59symbol of the golden dragon nation on
7:41:00every link. The cape bonded to Carl the
7:41:04moment that the clasp was fastened and
7:41:05the badge on his uniform changed
7:41:07slightly to include a crown at the top
7:41:09marking him as royal rank should anyone
7:41:12doubt his word. Thank you, Inquisitor.
7:41:16Carl responded once the man stepped
7:41:18back. It is an honor, Prince Carl. Just
7:41:22try not to taunt the others too much
7:41:24with your rank, no matter how tempting
7:41:26it is. Behave, your highness," Dana
7:41:30whispered in his ear using a tone that
7:41:32had his little Carl at full attention.
7:41:34Carl gave her a wink and made plans for
7:41:36her upcoming birthday. He was going to
7:41:39have to give her a special present this
7:41:41year. I am certain that I can mostly
7:41:44resist the temptation.
7:41:46Besides, after spending months fighting
7:41:48along the frost giant border, the
7:41:50novelty of wearing a cape has already
7:41:52worn off. They're just too practical for
7:41:55cold weather, Carl joked. The staff
7:41:59brought out a meal for everyone, the
7:42:01fancy sort that they usually reserve for
7:42:03visiting guests on the line, and Carl
7:42:05smiled at their efforts to make rice and
7:42:07beans fancy by putting long slices of
7:42:09pickled vegetables on top, then
7:42:11surrounding it with sliced meat. The
7:42:13meal made it easy to see who was used to
7:42:15being out of the city, and who was used
7:42:17to all of the fine dining establishments
7:42:19of either the capital or one of the
7:42:21other large cities.
7:42:22The Inquisition members were pleasantly
7:42:24surprised to find that they had spiced
7:42:26the meat, while most of the politicians
7:42:28just looked like they were doing their
7:42:30best to ignore what they were eating.
7:42:32The new commanders from the other group
7:42:34were being swarmed by dignitaries,
7:42:36wishing them well and not so subtly
7:42:37pushing for them to commit to some
7:42:39project or another, the same as they had
7:42:41done to Carl when he advanced. Only
7:42:44these ones were all in their final year
7:42:46at the academy, and they knew all about
7:42:48the tricks to expect when they
7:42:49eventually advanced. A few had
7:42:52approached Oilia, but she seemed to know
7:42:54the ultimate trick to scare them away.
7:42:57She was normally a quiet sort and rather
7:43:00gentle in her human form, but when they
7:43:02approached her to try to get her to join
7:43:03their projects, she was obnoxious,
7:43:06crude, and affected a heavy accent that
7:43:08had them all politely excusing
7:43:09themselves within seconds. They would
7:43:12eventually learn that they had been
7:43:13tricked and come back trying to get her
7:43:15to join their causes. But that tactic
7:43:17should work well enough for today. And
7:43:19then Oilia would have some time to make
7:43:20a decision on her own. Oddly, as Carl
7:43:24sat with his hand on Dana's thigh,
7:43:26nobody tried to come over and pitch her
7:43:28for their cause. It seemed that his
7:43:30claim was enough to keep them away, with
7:43:32the assumption that her time was already
7:43:34spoken for by the new prince. Once they
7:43:37had eaten, the teachers came in with new
7:43:39badges for everyone who had advanced to
7:43:41commander rank, as well as their new
7:43:43suits, while the nature priestess came
7:43:45over to give new robes to the four
7:43:47clerics who had advanced. The blue
7:43:49dragon clerics were quite fancy and
7:43:51trimmed with gold embroidery, similar to
7:43:54the ones worn by the cleric in white,
7:43:56except for the base color. Lotus got
7:43:58simple green robes, but with beads and
7:44:01leather laces all along the edges and
7:44:03more natural ornaments instead of
7:44:04embroidery. They were fancier than the
7:44:07ones the older high priestess was
7:44:09wearing. And Carl realized that unlike
7:44:11the other factions, the nature clerics
7:44:13rarely wore their formal robes. Tessas
7:44:16were red with black trim, and Carl
7:44:18noticed that the robes actually
7:44:20contained a mesh of metallic thread
7:44:22through them as part of their enchanted
7:44:23defenses.
7:44:25They looked simple, but they were
7:44:27actually a rather powerful magical armor
7:44:29piece.
7:44:30I believe that we've crushed the
7:44:32previous record for the maximum number
7:44:33of commanders enrolled in the academy at
7:44:35one time. Carl laughed as the last of
7:44:38the new advancements put on their new
7:44:40outfits. A number of the politicians
7:44:43laughed and the lead inquisitor shook
7:44:45his head. Before this mission, it
7:44:48wouldn't have just been a daily record,
7:44:49but a record number of commanders as
7:44:51students. As it is, the academy has
7:44:54doubled the number in a single day. That
7:44:57advancement trial was a huge benefit to
7:44:59the academy. And now that they've got a
7:45:01royal ranked student on the lines, the
7:45:03academy has little to fear from the hill
7:45:05giants. The politicians looked nervous
7:45:08as he finished that sentence. They had
7:45:11been fully intending to pull Carl from
7:45:13the area to have him do something else
7:45:15that served their department's
7:45:16imperatives, but arguing with the
7:45:18Inquisition was a losing cause.
7:45:20The best that they could hope for was to
7:45:22try to get his whole team moved to the
7:45:24mountain giant front, which was closer
7:45:26to the capital and easier to get to when
7:45:28they wanted them to do something. The
7:45:30spokesman for the politicians stood to
7:45:32address the group. Now that we've all
7:45:35eaten, why don't we get the interviews
7:45:37underway? We can do them outdoors where
7:45:40the battlefield will make a proper
7:45:41backdrop for the footage of the new
7:45:43commanders. It's a big day for the
7:45:45Golden Dragon Nation, after all.
7:45:48That was the part that nobody except the
7:45:51news people were looking forward to.
7:45:53They would have to do multiple
7:45:55interviews so that all of the
7:45:56dignitaries could be seen with more than
7:45:58one of the new commanders and to fill
7:46:00time for the TV stations.
7:46:02Worse for Carl, he couldn't even bring
7:46:04out Thor as a distraction this time, as
7:46:07it was likely to be more of an informal
7:46:09style, and he would be expected to
7:46:10interact with the officials who had come
7:46:12to congratulate them. The spokesman for
7:46:15the politicians gestured at one of the
7:46:17classroom tents. Prince Carl, if you
7:46:20would come this way, please. We would
7:46:22like to do a group interview with you
7:46:24while the commanders are with the
7:46:25reporters. It won't take long and it
7:46:28won't air with the other news. So, we
7:46:30will be setting up a fake stage for your
7:46:32footage. Ah, I suppose that it makes
7:46:35sense that they don't want anyone to
7:46:36know where exactly I am now that I have
7:46:39advanced,
7:46:40Carl noted. Exactly.
7:46:44Your footage will be held until there is
7:46:46a need for it. The next time that the
7:46:48news cycle needs a positive story, it
7:46:50will be released so that the people have
7:46:52something to cheer about and they don't
7:46:54have to focus on whatever had happened
7:46:55in the previous days. The politician
7:46:58agreed. The tent had been set up like
7:47:01the inside of a luxury hotel room, right
7:47:04down to a television screen playing a
7:47:05fake city street view behind closed
7:47:07curtains. It would only be in the edge
7:47:10of the view, but it gave a
7:47:11directionality to the lighting in the
7:47:13room, which Carl assumed would make it
7:47:15feel more natural for the viewers at
7:47:17home. To him, it was just too obviously
7:47:20unnatural.
7:47:22For one, his vision was as sharp as
7:47:24hawks.
7:47:25Secondly, he had gotten so used to the
7:47:27echolocation and thermal imaging being
7:47:29overlaid on everything he looked at that
7:47:32it was very obvious there was a
7:47:33television behind the curtains. But then
7:47:36they turned on all the professional
7:47:37lighting and it didn't matter anymore.
7:47:40The lighting would be perfect in the
7:47:42video, not natural. So the screen was
7:47:44only there to make it look like a real
7:47:46window. If you can take a seat there,
7:47:49that would be just right. And can you
7:47:51get your hawk to stand on the end table?
7:47:54Or is the bond not like that? The
7:47:57producer asked. I can have Hawk stand on
7:48:00the end table. That shouldn't be a
7:48:02problem. But his talons will almost
7:48:04certainly damage it unless you've got a
7:48:06stand that he can perch on. Hawks aren't
7:48:09meant to stand on flat surfaces.
7:48:11He's not a duck. One of the workers ran
7:48:14out and then came back in with an extra
7:48:17microphone stand. What about this? Will
7:48:21this work well enough as a perch? He
7:48:23asked. He set it up next to the chair
7:48:26and adjusted the height so Hawk would be
7:48:29just below Carl's shoulder level. Hawk
7:48:32left his space and landed on the perch,
7:48:34grabbing it gently, so he didn't damage
7:48:36the paint. Fortunately, it was a bit
7:48:39rough on the surface so his feet didn't
7:48:41slip around and force him to use his
7:48:43claws. That is perfect. I don't know if
7:48:47you've heard, but some bard made up a
7:48:49song about you two while you were in the
7:48:50Frost Giant Nation, and it's climbing
7:48:52the charts. That's why we wanted Hawk
7:48:55with you today so that even though
7:48:57people might not recognize you, they
7:48:59will associate you and your reputation
7:49:01with the song as soon as the interview
7:49:02starts. The producer explained, "Hawk
7:49:06the Giant Slayer." Carl laughed. How
7:49:10close is that to the truth? We're not
7:49:13going to have a bunch of other elites
7:49:15coming out to refute your actions, are
7:49:17we? One of the politicians asked.
7:49:20Honestly, the song doesn't do our
7:49:22experience along the Frost Giant Border
7:49:25Justice. We went on a rampage even
7:49:28before the fight with the Royal Rank
7:49:29Leader. I can only say that it's a shame
7:49:32that we weren't at our current strength
7:49:34for that one. We lost a team member
7:49:36during that fight, but now it would be a
7:49:38relatively even match. One-on-one, Ry
7:49:42could take that Frost Giant in a matter
7:49:44of minutes, Carl explained. Are there
7:49:48any questions that we should avoid?
7:49:50Things that might not be suitable for
7:49:52television, the producer asked. Carl
7:49:56didn't see any issues at first, but then
7:49:58one came to him. You should likely not
7:50:01ask about my own musical taste. I grew
7:50:04up in the mines, so all my favorite
7:50:06songs are minors working tunes.
7:50:09That doesn't sound so bad, the producer
7:50:12replied.
7:50:14Carl whistled the first few bars of Give
7:50:16the Working Man a Chance, and the
7:50:18producer pald as he recognized the tune.
7:50:21I take that back. The average citizen
7:50:24might not appreciate a minor's dark
7:50:26sense of humor. Or worse, they probably
7:50:29would," he replied, retracting his
7:50:32statement so he didn't have to edit out
7:50:34footage of the new prince subtly
7:50:35advocating for the death of incompetent
7:50:37leaders. But while the producer and the
7:50:40politician were both incredibly nervous
7:50:42about what Carl would say next, the
7:50:44Inquisitor thought it was hilarious.
7:50:47Brother Carl is definitely best suited
7:50:49to be one of us. With that kind of
7:50:52thinking, he might be the next Commander
7:50:54Hirs. The Inquisitor laughed. Who is
7:50:57that? I didn't watch the news much
7:51:00growing up, and they don't play it here.
7:51:03Carl asked. Oh, it might not have even
7:51:06made news where you were. Hush was one
7:51:09of the first batch of elite test
7:51:11subjects years before the program went
7:51:13full scale. He was Minister of Justice
7:51:16for a while until a corrupt politician
7:51:18tried to lie his way out of trouble and
7:51:20the commander killed him on the
7:51:22parliament floor. The Inquisitor
7:51:24explained, "I would have paid money to
7:51:27see that." The Inquisitor dabbed
7:51:29laughing tears from the corners of his
7:51:31eyes as he smiled at Carl. and that's
7:51:34why it wasn't on the news. But did it
7:51:37work? That seems like the sort of thing
7:51:40that was meant to make a statement about
7:51:41ending corruption. Did it work? Carl
7:51:45asked. The Inquisitor whistled
7:51:48innocently while everyone else in the
7:51:49room looked away. They were definitely
7:51:52not asking Carl about politics in his
7:51:54interviews. As the cameras were adjusted
7:51:57for the size of the Inquisitor, who
7:51:59would be the first host, a note was
7:52:01handed to Carl to remind him of all the
7:52:03things that were classified.
7:52:05You know, I'm beginning to understand
7:52:07why press releases don't ever actually
7:52:09say anything.
7:52:11So much of what we've done and are doing
7:52:13is classified that I couldn't even tell
7:52:15most of the good stories. Carl sighed.
7:52:19Good stories like what? The politician
7:52:22asked. The Inquisitor nodded, meaning
7:52:25everyone here had clearance to hear what
7:52:27he might say. So Carl thought of a few
7:52:29things. Well, like that time that we
7:52:32picked a fight with 200 frost giants and
7:52:34shattered a frost stone that blew up
7:52:36like a nuke. Or that time that we hung
7:52:39out in an old dwarven city for 2 weeks
7:52:41before we realized that the magma dragon
7:52:43had chased away all the giants and we
7:52:45weren't even in front of the line
7:52:47anymore. We were somewhere off to the
7:52:49side and the shift had put us out of
7:52:50radio range so we hadn't heard anything.
7:52:54Carl heard giggling from the door and
7:52:56Lotus poked her head in. Tell them about
7:52:58the time that Thor ye had a Titan cleric
7:53:01so far that we didn't even find the
7:53:02body. The Inquisitor frowned at her.
7:53:06Definitely do not tell anyone the
7:53:08details of that incident. High
7:53:09priestess,
7:53:11was there something that we could do for
7:53:12you? They said that I had 2 hours before
7:53:15my interview and I wanted to ride Ry in
7:53:18her space. Ry laughed. Going for a run
7:53:22in the woods sounded like fun. She
7:53:24appeared outside the door and the little
7:53:26cleric nimly hopped on top. Then they
7:53:29both simply vanished as Ray shadow
7:53:31stepped. Well, that was bloody
7:53:33terrifying.
7:53:35I think I peed a little. The camera
7:53:38operator muttered. You get used to her.
7:53:41Even Bob McKenzie, who was seriously
7:53:44arachnophobic when we met, has gotten
7:53:46mostly used to Ray now. He just prefers
7:53:49to deploy himself to the other side of
7:53:51the group, so they're not side by side.
7:53:54Carl laughed, "Do you have fun stories
7:53:57about those two?" the producer asked
7:53:59hopefully like how they like to go for
7:54:02runs in the woods together or how High
7:54:05Priestess Lotus will ride her into
7:54:07combat so that they can stop to look for
7:54:09magical resources or shiny stones. Oh,
7:54:12we could send someone to take footage. I
7:54:15bet Rey wouldn't mind. She loves when
7:54:17people appreciate her greatness. The
7:54:20cameraman raised his hand. Maybe no fun
7:54:23giant murder spider stories. I don't
7:54:26care how you phrase it. I'm still going
7:54:28to have nightmares.
7:54:30Carl chuckled. Did you know that it
7:54:33takes her under three seconds to tear
7:54:35apart an ascended rank armored car to
7:54:37get to a treat left inside? At that
7:54:40point, the crew all realized that Carl
7:54:42was just cherry-picking stories to mess
7:54:44with them, but none of them doubted that
7:54:46Ry could mutilate an armored vehicle.
7:54:48"Which one of your pets is the
7:54:50friendliest?" the producer asked
7:54:52hopefully. "Thor," followed by Remy.
7:54:56Hawk isn't really a people person. He
7:54:58just likes to watch them doing dumb
7:55:00stuff from above. Hulk nodded in
7:55:03agreement. People were always doing dumb
7:55:06things. That was why you had to watch
7:55:08your fireballs all the way down. Because
7:55:11they might run right into them. The
7:55:14producer nodded, then gestured for the
7:55:16inquisitor to start the interview. Good
7:55:19evening, parishioners.
7:55:21I am High Priest Israel here with a
7:55:23special bit of good news for you all. It
7:55:26is my pleasure to let you all know that
7:55:27we have independently verified that this
7:55:29young man sitting next to me has reached
7:55:31a major milestone.
7:55:33This is Prince Carl, born and raised in
7:55:35the lithium mines and now the newest
7:55:38member of the royal rank elites. Beside
7:55:41him is his dragon Hawk, who answers to
7:55:43the name Hawk. They are the subject of
7:55:46the recent hit song Hawk the Giant
7:55:48Slayer. Why don't we start there? The
7:55:51hawk is a majestic example of the
7:55:53species and more powerful than I think
7:55:55any of use would have expected. Is he
7:55:58like a parrot? Can he speak and
7:56:01understand human language? The
7:56:03inquisitor asked. Hawk shook his head
7:56:06and Carl answered for him. He can
7:56:09understand us just fine, but he can't
7:56:11speak. However, our bond allows us to
7:56:14communicate, so I can relay answers for
7:56:16him. That sounds like an incredibly
7:56:19useful ability.
7:56:21Is that why you rely upon him to do most
7:56:23of the scouting for your group? Carl
7:56:26nodded. Indeed. Being able to look down
7:56:29on a situation from above gives us a
7:56:32much better idea of what is going on and
7:56:34reveals many hidden traps and potential
7:56:36ambushes that would have been hidden
7:56:37when scouted from ground level. Combined
7:56:40with the extremely well-refined eyesight
7:56:42and enhanced range of colors that he can
7:56:44see, and it is an incredibly potent
7:56:46combination.
7:56:48We are told that there is a song about
7:56:49you too. Have you had a chance to hear
7:56:51it? Israel asked. We did actually. The
7:56:57bards in camp were playing it and we got
7:56:59a good chuckle out of their rendition of
7:57:01our activities.
7:57:02They are truly a gifted class of elites.
7:57:06Carl agreed.
7:57:08Inquisitor Israel gave a professional
7:57:10smile to the camera, paused for a few
7:57:12seconds, giving them time to insert
7:57:14footage of the music, then continued.
7:57:17How does it feel to be the youngest
7:57:18Royal Rank elite in the decade that the
7:57:20program has been running? It has to be
7:57:23exciting for you. Carl nodded. It's a
7:57:27crazy feeling and I can't really wrap my
7:57:29head around it. Royal rank is just so
7:57:32far beyond anything that I thought I
7:57:34could achieve that it is taking a while
7:57:36to truly sink in. The interview went on
7:57:39for another half an hour and switched
7:57:41interviewers twice. They were both from
7:57:43the team of reporters and only asked
7:57:46simple questions while avoiding anything
7:57:47that might need to be heavily edited or
7:57:49completely scrapped. When they were
7:57:52finally finished, the final reporter got
7:57:54out of his seat and he was replaced by a
7:57:56young woman in a wizard themed idol
7:57:58dress that wasn't hiding much of
7:57:59anything from Carl's point of view. It
7:58:02was kneelength and ruffled, but there
7:58:04was a slit up the thigh clear to the hip
7:58:06and deep cleavage despite the somewhat
7:58:08modestl looking wide sleeves and high
7:58:10collar. Carl was briefly mesmerized by
7:58:13her personality. But then he realized
7:58:15that this woman was also royal rank.
7:58:18Prince Carl, meet the archmitch.
7:58:21Israel introduced them. A pleasure. She
7:58:25responded, sounding like it was nothing
7:58:27of the sort. If we're dressing up for
7:58:30this, should I put on my fancy armor?
7:58:33Carl asked. The Inquisitor looked
7:58:36confused for a second until Carl changed
7:58:38into beast armor with the white fur
7:58:41cloak from the frost giants and no
7:58:42helmet. This time the kitan appeared as
7:58:46white with gold trim over the black
7:58:47scales and Carl swept out the cloak,
7:58:50letting it pull behind him as he perched
7:58:52forward on the chair. An assistant
7:58:55rushed forward, rearranging his cloak
7:58:57and his position, then gave him a thumbs
7:58:59up. The arch mage looked startled at his
7:59:02armor and leaned forward to inspect it,
7:59:04giving Carl a view down her ample
7:59:06cleavage. "Is that an epic grade quest
7:59:09reward?" she asked. "An epic grade skill
7:59:13as a trial reward?" "Actually, the armor
7:59:16isn't physical armor, but created by a
7:59:19skill book. It still has the same sort
7:59:22of powerful enchantments, though. The
7:59:25bonuses on it are far beyond anything
7:59:27I've seen before." Carl agreed. "What
7:59:31luck that must have been. Is it a new
7:59:33skill, or is that how you have had such
7:59:35success here on the front lines?" she
7:59:38asked curiously with a flirty smile that
7:59:40Carl recognized as being for the cameras
7:59:43Carl had forgotten were rolling. "It
7:59:45came to me during my royal rank
7:59:47advancement.
7:59:48I haven't even had a chance to properly
7:59:50test it yet." The arch mage giggled in
7:59:53an endearing tone that didn't show in
7:59:55her eyes to Carl's sharp vision. She was
7:59:58good at this, playing it up for the
8:00:00cameras and doing interviews that she
8:00:01despised, but still making sure that her
8:00:04idol image didn't slip. There has been a
8:00:07lot of speculation among the other
8:00:08ranking elites on what your next beast
8:00:10will be. Have you made a choice or
8:00:13received any sort of sign as to what it
8:00:15will be? She asked.
8:00:18Not yet. I have a very well-rounded
8:00:20team, and they have done an excellent
8:00:22job so far. So, I've been holding off on
8:00:26making a decision until I have a better
8:00:28grasp on what we might be missing. That
8:00:30sounds like quite the luxury. On behalf
8:00:33of mages everywhere, I must say that I
8:00:36wish it could be so easy to learn new
8:00:37abilities.
8:00:39Carl smiled and tried to remember what
8:00:41she specialized in. "Well, I've got a
8:00:44few new skill books to give to the blue
8:00:46dragon clerics. Perhaps we can talk
8:00:48after and see if one of them might suit
8:00:50you." Carl replied with what he hoped
8:00:52looked like a shy smile and not a
8:00:54murderous snarl. He had been reminded in
8:00:57the past that he was somewhat scary even
8:00:59when he didn't mean to be which could be
8:01:01a mistake during an interview. Is that
8:01:03your intention as a prince to collect
8:01:06and distribute skills? She asked
8:01:09startled.
8:01:11Carl had assumed that they had warned
8:01:12her in advance as it hadn't come up in
8:01:15his past interview but he just nodded.
8:01:18Yes, it is a particular advantage that I
8:01:21have. It is my hope that with the
8:01:23contributions, it will make the early
8:01:25stages a bit easier for those who start
8:01:27with compatible classes. The elites
8:01:30benefit from every new skill that we can
8:01:32gather, and I have a particular talent
8:01:34for finding new skills to share. That
8:01:37would be wonderful.
8:01:39But first, I have been asked to perform
8:01:41a short segment for the audience. Don't
8:01:44go too far. Cut. the producer called. We
8:01:49will film the actual bit to use an
8:01:51upcoming single when this is about to
8:01:52air. Thank you both for your assistance.
8:01:56You are finished with the interview
8:01:58process.
8:01:59Carl sighed and let Hawk returned to his
8:02:01space while the arch mage got up out of
8:02:03her chair and grabbed him by the edges
8:02:05of his cloak. You had better not have
8:02:08been with me about the new
8:02:09skill. Do you really have a skill book?
8:02:13She demanded.
8:02:15Relax.
8:02:16I have a talent to make skill books out
8:02:18of the skills that I know. What is your
8:02:21specialty as a mage? He replied,
8:02:25lightning with a secondary in ice magic.
8:02:28Carl checked what he needed to make the
8:02:30chain lightning book and found that he
8:02:32had the herb that he needed, but if he
8:02:34had a lightning element stone, it was
8:02:36hidden in Ray's hole of shiny stones.
8:02:38"Do you have chain lightning?" he asked.
8:02:43Do you think it's so easy to get
8:02:44advanced skills like that? I've got
8:02:47shock, stun, lightning bolt, and
8:02:49lightning mine, plus ice blast, and
8:02:52icicle for combat skills. Then a few
8:02:55just for show. Do you have a lightning
8:02:57element stone commander rank or higher?
8:03:01I need to grind it for the ink for the
8:03:02book, and I will make you chain
8:03:04lightning. Or I can make you blizzard
8:03:07with what I have on hand. Blizzard, not
8:03:10blizzard, Remy. and Hawk responded at
8:03:13the same time. You assistant man. Get my
8:03:17bag. I have the stone we need in there.
8:03:21She demanded of one of the staffers who
8:03:23had come in with her. You can likely
8:03:26change back now that the interviews are
8:03:28done. Carl reminded her. The arch mitch
8:03:32side. Do you think this frilly
8:03:34costume is bonded? It takes two hours to
8:03:37get into this and do all my makeup, then
8:03:40half as long to get it back off again.
8:03:43Perhaps she had a lot in common with
8:03:44Dana. Not her temper or language, but
8:03:47she certainly didn't seem to be enjoying
8:03:49the idol life, though the rumor was that
8:03:51she had chosen it for herself after she
8:03:53advanced to commander. Instead, she
8:03:56dawned a light silk dressing gown over
8:03:58her outfit and sat back down on the
8:04:00chair from the interview while they
8:04:01waited. Can you make me both of those
8:04:04skills or is there a limit? She asked.
8:04:08There is a limit, but two books in a day
8:04:10is possible. The lacerate books for the
8:04:14clerics can wait and I will make you
8:04:16both today. Do you know where they're
8:04:18sending you next? Carl replied, "Right
8:04:22here. I have shows all down the hill
8:04:25giant border this week. Military
8:04:27inspiration shows as they call them. If
8:04:30there are attacks while I'm here, I help
8:04:32out. If there aren't, I just go around
8:04:35doing idol shows, the arch mage
8:04:38explained. The assistant returned with a
8:04:41high cleric from the blue dragon and
8:04:43three inscriptionists, letting Carl know
8:04:45that his comments would not be allowed
8:04:46to slide. They expected books and they
8:04:50wanted them now. "Did you bring the
8:04:52materials?"
8:04:54Carl asked. The cleric nodded and put a
8:04:57pile of paper and a handful of lightning
8:04:59element stones at commander rank in
8:05:01front of him. All right, let's get
8:05:03started. It didn't take long to make
8:05:06either book as he could use both skills
8:05:08and didn't have to refer to Remy. He
8:05:11just needed some of the grass from her
8:05:13space to mix with the base ink for the
8:05:14blizzard spell. Everyone sat silently as
8:05:18he made two copies of the chain
8:05:20lightning spell and then two more of
8:05:22Blizzard.
8:05:24All right. Now, hopefully this will
8:05:27work. It says that mages with expert or
8:05:30higher affinity in the element should be
8:05:32able to use it, as well as shamans and
8:05:34suitable element beasts, Carl explained.
8:05:38Mages and shamans can both use the
8:05:40spells. Now, we're talking. The blue
8:05:44dragon high priest side. He had been
8:05:47fully prepared to be ridiculed for the
8:05:49obnoxiously restrictive books that Carl
8:05:51produced. They weren't broken or flawed.
8:05:54They just had such stringent
8:05:55requirements that they might as well be
8:05:57quest rewards of their own. Carl felt
8:06:00Hawk's suspicion. You're teaching more
8:06:02mages to use evil magic. No, to use
8:06:06blizzard, they already need a strong
8:06:08ability with ice magic. It's still evil
8:06:11magic. The arch mitch reverently picked
8:06:14up the chain lightning book and flipped
8:06:16the cover open. It seemed to hesitate
8:06:19for a split second. Then the book
8:06:21vanished and she jumped on Carl's lap,
8:06:24wrapping him in a hug. Thank you. Thank
8:06:27you so much. That is a fantastic spell.
8:06:31How did you obtain it? It comes from
8:06:34Remy, my spirit snake. Both of these are
8:06:37skills that she was born knowing, and
8:06:39since she's a shaman, they were more
8:06:41transferable than the other skills. And
8:06:44you didn't teach your group? The high
8:06:46priest asked. None of them are ice or
8:06:49lightning element mages or shamans.
8:06:52They couldn't use them without high
8:06:54enough proficiency in the element. But
8:06:56now your team can make copies of the
8:06:58books for every mage and shaman that is
8:07:00of those elements. And the arch mage can
8:07:02do her next photo shoot with two new
8:07:04spells. In fact, if you tone down
8:07:07Blizzard, it might be cool as a stage
8:07:09effect. She looked confused. So Carl
8:07:13pointed at the cameraman and surrounded
8:07:15him with a very reduced blizzard, but
8:07:17with high winds and thick snow, which
8:07:19sparkled in the light as it swirled
8:07:20around him. Just be careful of the
8:07:23distance. The wind can cause wardrobe
8:07:26malfunctions,
8:07:28Carl added. The arch mage shifted on
8:07:31Carl's lap to pick up the blizzard book,
8:07:33which vanished without as much
8:07:35hesitation, suggesting that her affinity
8:07:37with ice was actually higher than
8:07:39lightning. She sighed in satisfaction
8:07:42and got back to her feet. They are going
8:07:44to want me to do more appearances before
8:07:46the late night show. Good luck, Prince
8:07:50Carl. You will need it once those blood
8:07:52hounds from the special interests get to
8:07:54you. She was turning to leave when
8:07:57Israel laughed. I don't think he needs
8:07:59to worry about it. He terrified half of
8:08:02them and chased the other half away with
8:08:04a veiled threat to join the Inquisition.
8:08:07I don't know who taught him to play the
8:08:09game, but his angry hillboy face doesn't
8:08:11match his craftiness.
8:08:13Hey, I will have you know that I was
8:08:15considered a handsome young man. The
8:08:18idol laughed and shook her head. You
8:08:20still are, but that aura you give off
8:08:22will scare the tar out of the
8:08:24non-elites.
8:08:25Then she was gone from the tent, and
8:08:27Carl just shrugged at Israel. He didn't
8:08:30recall threatening to join the
8:08:32Inquisition at all, but that might be
8:08:34how the politicians would have taken
8:08:35him, addressing the Royal Rank
8:08:37Inquisitor more familiarly than anyone
8:08:39else. "Was there more that you wanted to
8:08:42share with the church today? Or do you
8:08:44need to hold off on the other skills
8:08:45that you might be able to copy?"
8:08:47Inquisitor Israel asked. He hadn't
8:08:50missed how Carl had said that two books
8:08:52in a day should be possible, but he had
8:08:54actually made four of them. "I'm
8:08:56mentally beat on that front. I was
8:08:59already pushing my luck with the fourth,
8:09:02but I should be able to make another
8:09:03tomorrow after a good night's rest. The
8:09:06problem is that most of the skills just
8:09:08aren't well suited to humans. If I could
8:09:11make a book for Remy's poison flame
8:09:13totems, that would be great. But even if
8:09:15I could learn the skill, it's a spirit
8:09:17snake exclusive skill. The Inquisitor
8:09:20frowned. There are so many restrictions
8:09:23on your skill. Carl shrugged. If I was
8:09:27making them for other beast masters, it
8:09:30would be fine. All they would need was a
8:09:32pet compatible with mine and they would
8:09:34be able to use all of these picky books.
8:09:37I'm hoping that one day I will find a
8:09:39way to transfer my core skills to
8:09:41others. Right now, it's not an option
8:09:44for the skill books, but I think that
8:09:46one day I might be able to create a book
8:09:48that will contract a beast. Then we can
8:09:51try making budget version beast masters
8:09:53out of people who don't have system
8:09:54access. If they could get even one space
8:09:57and grow with a beast, they could be
8:09:59maybe not on par with all elites, but
8:10:02still stronger than the average soldier.
8:10:04Now, the Inquisitor smiled. Now, that is
8:10:08a goal that I can get behind. I can see
8:10:10it now. A whole line of soldiers with
8:10:13their bonded beasts. They wouldn't even
8:10:15need to be combat beasts, just something
8:10:18with a good skill to share, and our army
8:10:20would be on par with any of the other
8:10:21magical or monster nations.
8:10:24Carl sighed. I'm not even sure that it
8:10:27will ever be possible. I've never heard
8:10:30of a way to transfer class skills to
8:10:32someone without the blessing, but I've
8:10:33got a feeling that it should actually be
8:10:35possible if we can find a way to form
8:10:37the contract. As Carl finished his
8:10:40explanation, a whole new group of
8:10:42reporters came in with some of the other
8:10:43newly advanced commanders from the
8:10:45academy, and Carl was chased out along
8:10:47with Inquisitor Israel. As you might
8:10:50have noticed, the prince title can get
8:10:52you many things, but getting in the way
8:10:54of people with things to do usually
8:10:55doesn't work, unless they're also elites
8:10:57under your leadership and have to listen
8:10:59to you. The Inquisitor laughed. Carl
8:11:03chuckled. Why don't we go get some
8:11:05coffee and relax? We have time to kill
8:11:08until they're done with all the other
8:11:10interviews, and I don't think that they
8:11:12will appreciate it if we completely
8:11:13vanish. Can I meet your other team
8:11:16members? Have they all advanced to royal
8:11:19rank with you? Israel asked. Carl shook
8:11:23his head. No. Rey advanced already, and
8:11:27Hawk is very close, but Remy and Thor
8:11:30are still solidly commanders for at
8:11:32least a few more days. I can't say for
8:11:35certain when they will advance, but
8:11:36they're being pulled upward now that I
8:11:38have. Then let's go to the edge of the
8:11:41camp, but not too far, and you can show
8:11:43me the others. I briefly saw a Ray
8:11:46before she ran away with High Priestess
8:11:48Lotus, and Hawk is a fine specimen of
8:11:50the Dragon Hawk species, but I am
8:11:53curious about the others, Israel
8:11:55suggested.
8:11:57Oh, there's no need to leave. Thor is
8:12:00gentle and everyone loves him, while
8:12:02Remy is small enough to not cause a
8:12:04traffic jam. Remy came out and draped
8:12:07herself over Carl's shoulder, then stuck
8:12:09her upper body forward to get a better
8:12:11look at the Inquisitor. He reached out
8:12:14and stroked the top of her head, making
8:12:16the spirit snake sway happily. She is
8:12:19venomous, isn't she? He asked. "Yeah."
8:12:24When she flares her hood, it is quite
8:12:26obvious that she's a naga spirit snake,
8:12:28but when she's relaxed, she looks much
8:12:30less threatening. Just a big boop
8:12:33noodle. Tell me you don't let her boop
8:12:36people. Remy laughed, and the inquisitor
8:12:39gave her a suspicious look. She tried
8:12:42it, didn't she? Are they all right? Carl
8:12:46nodded. They might have embarrassed
8:12:48themselves a little, but Remy only
8:12:50booped them on the nose with hers. There
8:12:52was no physical damage. Carl called Thor
8:12:56out, and the lightning immediately
8:12:58attracted attention from students who
8:12:59were living in the area near them on the
8:13:01right flank. They all came over to pat
8:13:04his head or rub his scales, ignoring the
8:13:06fact that there might be a reason his
8:13:08was out in the middle of camp. It looks
8:13:10like the lightning sparrow isn't far
8:13:12from royal rank either, but he's a bit
8:13:14odd, isn't he? I sense a lot of holy
8:13:17magic from him, Israel asked. He's been
8:13:21training his holy magic in hopes of
8:13:23becoming a better support asset for the
8:13:25team. He has already learned circle of
8:13:28protection, and that's quite the feat
8:13:30for a lightning ser. If he keeps it up,
8:13:33I think that he might actually manage to
8:13:35evolve on his own into some sort of holy
8:13:37Sarah. Carl agreed. I heard that Hawk
8:13:41evolved, but that was due to resource
8:13:43consumption.
8:13:44Is it possible that your class could
8:13:46cause such a mutation on its own? Remy
8:13:49laughed, a sporadic hissing noise that
8:13:52sounded more like a hiccup, but left her
8:13:54mouth open. Did I say something funny?
8:13:57Inquisitor Israel asked. Thor actually
8:14:01does have a resource, and a rather
8:14:03potent one. There is a pool of blessed
8:14:05water imbued with the essence of holy
8:14:08stones in his resting space, and he
8:14:10regularly soaks there during his
8:14:11downtime,
8:14:13Carl explained.
8:14:15Remy nodded in agreement while the
8:14:16Inquisitor stared at Thor. You have done
8:14:19very well for your beasts. The rare
8:14:22resources that I have learned that you
8:14:24found for them and have apparently
8:14:26planted in their spaces piqu my
8:14:27curiosity.
8:14:29That's why I volunteered to come out
8:14:31when it could have been any of the royal
8:14:33rank high priests. He informed Carl with
8:14:36a sly wink. You would be startled how
8:14:39much they have advanced since we met.
8:14:41Even Ry, who still looks very much like
8:14:44a bloodbath spider, has skills that I've
8:14:46never heard of a wild beast having. She
8:14:49learned the golems by watching mages use
8:14:51them. And now they're her most powerful
8:14:53attack ability, nearly tripling her
8:14:55combat power or doubling it while she
8:14:57gains the ability to attack with earth
8:14:59magic from a distance and protect our
8:15:01casters.
8:15:02Carl agreed.
8:15:04So would you say that Ry is nearly on
8:15:06par with a golem mage at the royal rank?
8:15:09Israel asked. I would say that it's not
8:15:12even close if she's within range to
8:15:14summon her golems. Her other skills lean
8:15:17more toward assassination, so it's hard
8:15:20to compare them, but her golems might be
8:15:22comparable to a whole mage on their own.
8:15:24The fact that they are imbued with her
8:15:26offensive adaptation and can use
8:15:29lacerate might actually make them
8:15:31significantly more dangerous than the
8:15:33average golem mage. That is a good
8:15:36point. Most golems are good for
8:15:38absorbing damage and crowd control, but
8:15:40it takes a secondary skill to make them
8:15:42truly dangerous.
8:15:44something like durable constructs as
8:15:46your teammate Dana has or a shared
8:15:49attack skill. I suppose the most
8:15:51important thing that you can be doing
8:15:53tonight is actually focusing on trying
8:15:55to get the other beasts on your team to
8:15:56advance. Two royal rank threats is good,
8:16:00but five of them together is enough that
8:16:02there wouldn't be many who would dare
8:16:03threaten you along this border. Carl
8:16:06noticed that he amended it with along
8:16:08this border as the mountain giants were
8:16:10even stronger and willing to take on
8:16:12even the overlords that the humans had
8:16:13sent to stop their advance. It was
8:16:16probably better not to mention that the
8:16:18golems Ray summoned also benefited from
8:16:20durable constructs.
8:16:22It hadn't taken her long to learn that
8:16:24skill. Rey was much better than the
8:16:27average beast or elite. But if he went
8:16:29further out to the lands west of the
8:16:31mountain giants or into the divine beast
8:16:33nation to their north and northwest, he
8:16:35would find an incredibly diverse range
8:16:37of threats that made magical skills a
8:16:39basic survival necessity. In a way,
8:16:42being surrounded by enemies actually
8:16:44protected the Golden Dragon Nation, as
8:16:46it created a buffer between them and the
8:16:48other threats that populated this
8:16:49continent. But that was very little
8:16:51consolation to the humans of the one
8:16:53surviving largely non-magical society.
8:16:55Their neighbors weren't friendly, but at
8:16:58least they were mostly predictable. The
8:17:00mixed threats of the other nations were
8:17:02worse from a security standpoint.
8:17:05As they talked, a reporter came up with
8:17:07a clipboard and an impatient look. If
8:17:10your highnesses could spare us a few
8:17:12moments, the officials from the
8:17:13government would like to do a group
8:17:14photo shoot with all of the students who
8:17:16have advanced recently, as well as the
8:17:18other dignitaries present, she
8:17:21announced.
8:17:22That meant that they both definitely
8:17:24needed to be there as two of the highest
8:17:26ranking elites on the border couldn't
8:17:28simply be absent from the photooots that
8:17:30were meant to show unity and strength as
8:17:32well as interdep departmental
8:17:33cooperation.
8:17:35Lead the way. We're ready for the rest
8:17:37of the interviews.
8:17:39Inquisitor Israel agreed. Oh, it's not
8:17:43interviews now, just a series of
8:17:45photooots,
8:17:46you know, posing, smile for the camera
8:17:49and all that, she explained.
8:17:52The Inquisitor sighed and gave Carl a
8:17:54frown that made his face look much older
8:17:56than the mid-20s that he likely was.
8:17:59"Let's get this over with, then."
8:18:02Fortunately for me, nobody expects the
8:18:04Inquisition to smile pretty for the
8:18:06camera. We've got a reputation to uphold
8:18:09and all. I suppose that I should call
8:18:12Lotus and Ray back if there is a big
8:18:14group meeting. Carl realized as they
8:18:17started to walk back toward the center
8:18:18of camp. Inquisitor Israel laughed. I
8:18:22think everyone in the media and
8:18:24government would be happier if they
8:18:25forgot that High Priestess Lotus was a
8:18:27thing. But yes, call them back. I am
8:18:31looking forward to the uncomfortable
8:18:32looks they give her when they have to
8:18:34address her as high priestess for formal
8:18:36introductions.
8:18:37I don't even think they had her do a
8:18:39short cameol length interview. She said
8:18:42they asked her to wait 2 hours and it
8:18:44hasn't been that long yet, but they're
8:18:46wrapping up the press duties. They
8:18:49almost definitely lied to her about how
8:18:51long everything would take and then sent
8:18:52her away so that she didn't notice she
8:18:54was being excluded until everything was
8:18:56done. Carl laughed as he realized that
8:18:59the inquisitor was right. So he called
8:19:01Ry and Lotus back to do the final meet
8:19:03and greet. Ry appeared in front of them
8:19:06and Israel instinctively drew his sword
8:19:08before he saw the laughing high
8:19:10priestess on her back. "Hey guys, are we
8:19:13ahead of schedule?" Lotus asked. They
8:19:17tried to trick you because the world
8:19:18wasn't ready for High Priestess Lotus.
8:19:21But we're about to do the group photo
8:19:23shoot, so I called you back. I wouldn't
8:19:26want you to miss out on all the fun just
8:19:28because they weren't going to do a full
8:19:29interview. Carl explained.
8:19:32Lotus frowned. I have half a mind to
8:19:35show up on Ray's back just to punish
8:19:37them for not interviewing me. I'm a high
8:19:40priestess. I should get some respect. It
8:19:43was fun playing in the woods, though.
8:19:46Ry returned to her space as Lotus hopped
8:19:48down to accompany Carl and the others to
8:19:50the meeting. The frustration and
8:19:53annoyance on the face of the reporter
8:19:54who had come to fetch them was obvious,
8:19:56but that was only making it more fun to
8:19:58escort Ray back with them. "Wait for
8:20:01it," Israel whispered as they reached
8:20:04the edge of the lights around the photo
8:20:05op mingle. They had set it up to appear
8:20:08to be some sort of military base with
8:20:10ballistic walls that were made of
8:20:12composite armor and then decorated on
8:20:14the inside to look like a garden
8:20:15pavilion. The cameras wouldn't be
8:20:18looking up. They just wanted to make
8:20:20certain that the location wouldn't be
8:20:21obvious to anyone who wasn't here when
8:20:23they saw the footage. Announcing Prince
8:20:26Carl, Lord Inquisitor Israel, and High
8:20:30Priestess Lotus. the staffer declared as
8:20:33they entered so that the ones keeping
8:20:34track of the photos would know who had
8:20:36arrived. They hadn't seen most of these
8:20:39elites before as they were almost all
8:20:41students, but everyone needed some shots
8:20:43of them meeting with the visiting
8:20:45dignitaries and politicians,
8:20:47mostly so that the visitors weren't
8:20:49accused of playing favorites with the
8:20:50elites, but it was also a valuable way
8:20:52to network and make new connections that
8:20:54would help you later in life. Carl knew
8:20:57the theory, but he had never actually
8:20:59tried to make those sorts of
8:21:00connections. He should likely start now,
8:21:04he realized as he saw how easily some of
8:21:06the students got along with the wealthy
8:21:08businessmen and policy makers. The
8:21:10problem was that they were all so smarmy
8:21:12and obviously lying through their teeth
8:21:14that he couldn't blend as smoothly as he
8:21:16would like. He could see the change in
8:21:19their skin temperature when they flushed
8:21:20as they were embarrassed or nervous. He
8:21:23could track every little fidget and tell
8:21:25when they lied. His enhanced senses were
8:21:28making it nearly impossible for Carl to
8:21:30deal with people who weren't completely
8:21:32honest. So he naturally gravitated to
8:21:35the ones who were the most honest with
8:21:36themselves. And that was the few elites
8:21:38among the businessmen and the clergy.
8:21:41Prince Carl, I am awakened warrior
8:21:43Nathan Roth, head of the Roth Savings
8:21:46and Loan Corporation.
8:21:48We finance homes and businesses all over
8:21:50the nation. One of the men introduced
8:21:53himself when he noticed that Carl didn't
8:21:55have that signature disapproving look
8:21:56for him. You look like you don't care
8:21:59for these functions.
8:22:01He added, "Carl laughed quietly.
8:22:05I have thermal vision and hawk eyes. I
8:22:08can literally see them lying and it's
8:22:10disturbing." The banker looked confused.
8:22:13So Carl continued, "See the way he
8:22:16clenches his thumb and forefinger. His
8:22:19skin temperature increases at the same
8:22:21time. He's nervous, but only at those
8:22:24certain moments. Carl explained, "Crap,
8:22:28you really can see them lying. How long
8:22:31did it take you to learn that skill?"
8:22:34Carl smiled. I have been around people
8:22:37who don't see any good reason to lie, or
8:22:39they make it very obvious that they're
8:22:41not going to tell you the truth. So,
8:22:43when I see people trying to fake it,
8:22:45their actions just look unnatural, and
8:22:48it's creeping me out. That skill would
8:22:50make me a fortune at the poker table.
8:22:52But what about that man in the gold tie?
8:22:55Does he have a tell? Nathan asked. A
8:22:59business competitor.
8:23:01Hm. Let's see. He's confident. I don't
8:23:04actually see any strange reactions from
8:23:06him. Either he's not lying or he's very
8:23:09good at it. Carl replied, "That's what I
8:23:13was worried about. He's pitching a new
8:23:16commercial development to anyone who
8:23:18will listen, and he self- financed it.
8:23:20If he was running a scam, it should have
8:23:23been obvious to you, as it's his own
8:23:25money backing it." Did you have any
8:23:27plans for a namesake development? Royal
8:23:30rank elites tend to make obscene amounts
8:23:32of money after a while. So, if you want
8:23:34to build a community or a high-rise
8:23:36somewhere, it won't be long before it's
8:23:38in your budget. and we can help you with
8:23:40not only the financing but the permits
8:23:42and legal blockades that often delay
8:23:44development," he suggested. "I will have
8:23:48to think about it. I haven't actually
8:23:50spent much time in the cities to know
8:23:52what sort of development would be best
8:23:53suited both to the area and to myself. I
8:23:57am a beast master after all, so
8:23:59something more attuned to nature might
8:24:01be best. But if you happen to see more
8:24:04news about me later, my plans for my
8:24:06work might make the choice more obvious.
8:24:09I just don't know where that's going to
8:24:10lead me next. The banker nodded and
8:24:13adjusted his expensive suit coat. You
8:24:16want to do something that is associated
8:24:18with your work or the people you were
8:24:20working with. Then that makes sense. Not
8:24:23everyone wants a landmark building in
8:24:25the capital in their name. I am told
8:24:28that you met Prince Corbin already and
8:24:30he made that sect compound for the
8:24:31spellblades.
8:24:33They used to be in an ancient monastery
8:24:35near the border, but it was becoming too
8:24:37dangerous for new students. So, he
8:24:39relocated all his people. That's
8:24:42actually a great idea. Perhaps if there
8:24:45are more beast masters in the future, I
8:24:47can set them up with a place that raises
8:24:48tamed beasts so they don't have to head
8:24:50out into the wilderness looking for rare
8:24:52monsters or make a random guess as to
8:24:54what their first beast skills will be.
8:24:57Carl suggested, "Do you really think
8:24:59that there will be more like your mark
8:25:01in the future?
8:25:03someone asked from behind Carl. I do.
8:25:07Now that there is one, there are likely
8:25:09to be others, but there are also similar
8:25:12classes like the rangers that bond a
8:25:14living partner. Most of them end up
8:25:17bonding with a common animal. But what
8:25:19if they could bond with a relatively
8:25:21docil monster instead? They would get
8:25:24the benefits of something like a war
8:25:25bear instead of a hunting dog. It might
8:25:28make a noticeable difference to their
8:25:30progression if they were able to find
8:25:31monsters that weren't wild and
8:25:33territorial when they first entered the
8:25:35academy. He explained, "You are quite
8:25:38dedicated to assisting the growth of the
8:25:40elites. Are you planning to apply to the
8:25:42Bureau of Elite Development?" The man
8:25:45asked, "Kernel Valerie is a good friend
8:25:48of mine, and Commander Morgana, who
8:25:50might be Princess Morgana soon, if I'm
8:25:52judging her power correctly, is an agent
8:25:55and a member of my team. But as for
8:25:58officially joining the bureau, that
8:26:00isn't in my immediate plans. The
8:26:02visitors didn't seem to know what to do
8:26:04with Carl's independent stance, and the
8:26:06man just nodded vaguely as he failed to
8:26:08determine Carl's current alliances. "I'm
8:26:11afraid I missed your name," Carl added
8:26:14when the man didn't say anything else.
8:26:17"Oh, my apologies.
8:26:20I am Director Jones of the Military
8:26:22Finance Committee. We're part of the
8:26:24Department of Defense and in charge of
8:26:26ensuring that money is being properly
8:26:28allocated for the needs of those
8:26:29defending the nation. He explained,
8:26:33"It's a valuable job, director. From
8:26:36what I can tell, your committee has been
8:26:38doing an outstanding job. Nobody expects
8:26:41money to be endless, but none of the
8:26:43locations I have been stationed at were
8:26:45desperately short of supplies."
8:26:48Once the director of military finance
8:26:50broke the ice and showed them the way to
8:26:52interact with a ranking elite who wasn't
8:26:53picking factions, more of the
8:26:55politicians began to come over with
8:26:57similar ideas. They didn't try to sell
8:27:00him on joining them or pushed their
8:27:02particular niche. Instead, they just
8:27:05discussed current events which Carl was
8:27:07missing out on at the front lines. or
8:27:10they praised the work that others were
8:27:11doing if it related to the topic at hand
8:27:13and made sure that Carl would at least
8:27:15recognize their faces if he saw them
8:27:17again. You know, I've had a question for
8:27:20a while now. Why did they call these
8:27:23ranks prince, king, and overlord? Isn't
8:27:26that a bit too presumptuous?
8:27:28It's not like I'm going to become king
8:27:30of the Golden Dragon Nation the next
8:27:32time I advance," Carl commented. One of
8:27:36the reporters spit out his drink as he
8:27:38began to laugh while the government
8:27:39ministers managed a bit more decorum.
8:27:42It's actually borrowed from older times
8:27:44and not created for the elites. You see,
8:27:48in the magical kingdoms, as well as most
8:27:50of the beast nations, a king rank beast
8:27:52or mage can hold a territory.
8:27:55Normally, that's only a few square
8:27:57kilometers, but it is their undisputed
8:27:59territory. A prince is not quite there,
8:28:03but they lord it over the other beasts
8:28:04in their territory if it doesn't have a
8:28:06stronger leader. But the overlords are
8:28:09the ones with the power to force kings
8:28:10to work together. It's been translated
8:28:13through a few languages, so it might not
8:28:15be perfect, but it works well enough for
8:28:17the time being. There is a whole
8:28:20progression for the divine beasts, but
8:28:22we don't have most of them on this
8:28:23continent. There isn't enough food here
8:28:26to support them. They need the
8:28:28continents with more magic. So, we
8:28:29rarely see anything above overlord. But
8:28:32if you are more widely traveled, you
8:28:34will find territories controlled by or
8:28:36even populated by stronger beasts. You
8:28:40won't see many humans there. We're just
8:28:42not a powerful enough species to survive
8:28:44that. But overlord is only halfway
8:28:46through the rankings in this world.
8:28:48Director Jones explained.
8:28:51I recall that the archbishop was above
8:28:53the overlords at the totem rank. Carl
8:28:56replied.
8:28:58An aging mage at the ascended rank who
8:29:00Carl recognized as one of the producers
8:29:02for the news station nodded politely as
8:29:04he approached.
8:29:06Yes, he's a totem rank cleric, a rank
8:29:09above the overlords.
8:29:11The mountain giants also have totem rank
8:29:13leaders, while the divine beast nation
8:29:16goes one rank further and has a mythical
8:29:18rank black dragon leading them. That's
8:29:20why they rarely attack us. It might be a
8:29:23servant of the god of death, but the
8:29:25black dragons understand that you need
8:29:27to keep a healthy population if you want
8:29:29the deaths to continue at a steady rate
8:29:31into the future. That was both
8:29:33depressing and remarkably pragmatic.
8:29:36Carl hadn't realized that the black
8:29:38dragons were into things like
8:29:39sustainable populations.
8:29:42Of course, they were also known to
8:29:43decimate entire regions,
8:29:45indiscriminately, killing one in 10 and
8:29:47then moving on. So perhaps he had just
8:29:51misunderstood their nature. It didn't
8:29:53take the others long to get back to
8:29:55their favorite topic of the day, though.
8:29:58So is there any sign of when the rest of
8:30:00your beasts will advance? One of the
8:30:03businessmen asked. I would say that a
8:30:06second one should be at royal rank
8:30:07within the week, but the other two
8:30:09aren't giving any clear signs. Carl
8:30:12explained for about the 10th time that
8:30:14night. The man smiled. This class of
8:30:18yours is like dropping a nuke in combat.
8:30:21You're one elite, but when you show up,
8:30:23it will be five royal rank threats at
8:30:25once. The giants can prepare for a
8:30:28single strong elite the same way that we
8:30:30prepare for a royal rank giant. But when
8:30:33the beasts come out, it's just an
8:30:35overwhelming change in the state of the
8:30:37battle. Carl nodded. There are
8:30:40advantages to sending a particularly
8:30:42strong royal rank leader with a team of
8:30:44commanders to deal with a threat. We're
8:30:47not exactly overloaded with strong
8:30:49elites, so it's better not to take risks
8:30:51when we don't have to. Director Jones
8:30:54looked excited as this was getting back
8:30:56to his area of expertise, though he was
8:30:58only actually in charge of supplies, not
8:31:01troop deployments.
8:31:03You have ideas on how best to send out
8:31:05the teams? He asked. It's just a thought
8:31:09that I had about the ability to deal
8:31:10with threats. You see, if you send a
8:31:14leader at the high end of a rank along
8:31:15with a team one rank below them, you
8:31:17have the best chance of dealing with a
8:31:19surprise threat above the estimated
8:31:21level. So, if you send a strong ascended
8:31:24leader with an awakened team, they're
8:31:26safer overall without changing the
8:31:28composition.
8:31:29Then when they reach ascended, send them
8:31:31with a strong commander until they're
8:31:33further up the rank and take over a team
8:31:35of a rank below them or they have formed
8:31:37a solid team of their own. Teams that
8:31:40know each other are still the best. But
8:31:42for random groups, leaders at the top
8:31:44and not the bottom of their rank makes
8:31:46the most sense. If we keep doing it that
8:31:49way, they will all have experience
8:31:51fighting at their own rank with a
8:31:52stronger leader. So when they take up a
8:31:54team leadership position, they will
8:31:56already be trained for the threats that
8:31:58they are there to protect the team
8:31:59against. Carl detailed his thought while
8:32:02the few elites and mages among them
8:32:04looked impressed. The producer tapped
8:32:07his chin as he thought. You know, that's
8:32:10how most stable groups are already.
8:32:12Either the leader is at the peak of
8:32:14their rank or they've got skills that
8:32:16make them surprisingly effective in
8:32:17combat, like the spellb blades, magical
8:32:20knights, or elites with rare classes
8:32:22like your beast master." Carl nodded.
8:32:26His team was mostly made of people who
8:32:28would be well suited to leadership
8:32:29positions, but they were better
8:32:31together. They had been working together
8:32:33for quite a while now, or like Morgana,
8:32:36they just fit so naturally into their
8:32:38role that there was no friction or
8:32:39overlap in what their skills should be
8:32:41doing.
8:32:42With her new skills, Carl couldn't think
8:32:44of an ascended team that wouldn't
8:32:46happily steal his Dana away to lead
8:32:48them. Once she had mastered a movement
8:32:51skill like the other knights were using,
8:32:53she would be incredibly deadly in
8:32:54combat, supporting her golems. There was
8:32:57a chance that she already knew one. The
8:33:00skills she had gotten were disruption
8:33:02blade and wind walker combat style,
8:33:05which was a bit ambiguous.
8:33:07It might include movement skills as well
8:33:09as combat skills. given the name. They
8:33:13hadn't needed to actually test the new
8:33:14skills yet. And even with the book, it
8:33:17might take a few days to get used to
8:33:18thinking differently, so you could fight
8:33:20in close combat as a mage. The others
8:33:23had all gotten skills that were more
8:33:25similar to their existing abilities.
8:33:28Except maybe Oilia.
8:33:30Her new transformation was a dire bear,
8:33:32which was basically an overgrown war
8:33:34bear. Carl was looking forward to seeing
8:33:37how that thing looked in combat while
8:33:38enraged.
8:33:40In his mind, it would be like the
8:33:42cartoon superhero Smash, a nerdy gamer
8:33:44kid who got huge and blue when he was
8:33:46angry. Only she would be massive and
8:33:49furry when she raged. The gathering
8:33:52broke up after another hour of camera
8:33:54people running around to take shots of
8:33:56everyone mingling. Carl's reluctance to
8:33:59mingle actually made their life easy as
8:34:01he was with a group in the background of
8:34:02many shots and he just had to move
8:34:05between them for individual photos. They
8:34:08didn't need a photo with everyone, just
8:34:10enough that they could fill multiple
8:34:11articles with whatever fit. In contrast,
8:34:14the hyperactive ones like Lotus were
8:34:16harder to properly photograph because
8:34:18they kept disappearing or appearing with
8:34:20the same people over and over, so you
8:34:22could never get a shot with the people
8:34:24you wanted. They talked to a 100 people
8:34:26in the evening, but every time the
8:34:28camera caught them, they were with the
8:34:30same ones. That would just cause
8:34:32scandals if they posted too many. The
8:34:35board population wouldn't see a hyper
8:34:37nature priestess talking to all the fun
8:34:39people. They would see a married
8:34:41politician with a much younger woman in
8:34:43multiple photos as if they were a
8:34:45couple. Lotus wasn't helping that
8:34:47situation as she had no qualms about
8:34:49hanging off people. And there were
8:34:51multiple pictures with her in either Bob
8:34:53or Tank's arms, gaining elevation so she
8:34:55could see what was going on.
8:34:57Carl almost felt sorry for the reporters
8:35:00who had to do damage control so they
8:35:01didn't cause rumors that would get them
8:35:03yelled at by ranking elites or their
8:35:04bosses. Prince Carl, could we get one
8:35:08last photo? One of the reporters asked
8:35:10as Carl left with his group. Of course.
8:35:14They all turned as a group and Carl put
8:35:17an arm over Dana's shoulder as she
8:35:19leaned against him. Doug had done the
8:35:21same with Morgana, who was currently
8:35:23tipsy enough that she wasn't yelling at
8:35:25him while the others arrayed themselves
8:35:27around the couples. "Thank you all. Have
8:35:31a splendid evening. Will you be at the
8:35:33general mess hall in the morning?" the
8:35:36reporter asked. "Perhaps.
8:35:39We may be busy again tomorrow with the
8:35:41aftermath of today's advancements,"
8:35:44Carl explained. The reporters left them
8:35:47and Carl's expanded group, including the
8:35:49McKenzie brothers and Morgana, returned
8:35:52to the fort for the evening. Now that
8:35:54they had hammocks there, the trio hadn't
8:35:56returned to the teachers dorms for an
8:35:58evening since, and Carl didn't blame
8:36:00them. They were in the same dorm tent as
8:36:03Tank, and Carl could hear him snoring
8:36:05from the mess hall if the big berserker
8:36:07had a morning off. Anyone with enhanced
8:36:10hearing had to be suffering or using
8:36:12earplugs to sleep in camp. They had the
8:36:15next day off, and Carl was looking
8:36:16forward to sleeping in. But first thing
8:36:19in the morning, the sound of loud
8:36:20celebrations woke him up from a deep
8:36:22sleep. "What is going on out there?" he
8:36:26muttered to himself as he equipped his
8:36:28suit and rolled out of his hammock.
8:36:30Oddly, there was nobody in the fort.
8:36:32They were all outside, gathered in a
8:36:34circle on the ground while Hawk and Doug
8:36:36stared each other down. There were vines
8:36:39in between them being blocked by a wall
8:36:41of fire, and both of them were surging
8:36:43with power as they competed. Why they
8:36:46felt the need for a power game before
8:36:486:00 in the morning was a mystery, but
8:36:50they were dedicated to it, and Hawk was
8:36:52so focused on his work that Carl wasn't
8:36:54even picking up any stray thoughts from
8:36:56him. Carl sat down in the entryway and
8:36:59watched the challenge while the other
8:37:00beasts slept. Both Hawk and Doug were
8:37:03right at the boundary to the royal rank
8:37:05advancement, and their contest seemed to
8:37:07be to keep up with each other. The vines
8:37:10enlarged and contracted, while the
8:37:12flames shifted in color, adapting to
8:37:14each other and maintaining the
8:37:15stalemate.
8:37:17Flames would burst from a new location,
8:37:19headed for Doug, only to be intercepted
8:37:21by a new vine, or a new vine would be
8:37:24intercepted by a ball of fire,
8:37:26increasing the density of the conflict
8:37:27every time one of them had a slight
8:37:29advancement. It looked like any progress
8:37:32that they were making were balancing
8:37:33each other out, at least for the first
8:37:35few minutes. Then Hawk's body began to
8:37:38enlarge, and his feathers started to
8:37:40turn transparent with flames. The wall
8:37:43of fire was pushing back the thorn vines
8:37:45now, and Doug's forehead was rolling
8:37:47with sweat as he worked to increase his
8:37:49peak power output. Then Hawk's flame
8:37:52body went from a red orange to a deep
8:37:54vermilion, and his power surged as his
8:37:56body expanded from condor size to nearly
8:37:595 m in wingspan as his wings spread in a
8:38:01majestic sweep of fire. Doug's power was
8:38:05growing as well, and a soft green light
8:38:07surrounded his vines, which had been
8:38:09burning away. Now they were slowly
8:38:12repairing themselves, but not fast
8:38:14enough. And in only a few seconds, Hawk
8:38:16had overcome him, and the flames hit the
8:38:18barrier Dana had placed over the cleric.
8:38:21The two of them grinned at each other,
8:38:23pleased with their success, and Carl
8:38:25wondered if Doug had managed to make it
8:38:26to royal rank. Hawk clearly had made the
8:38:30advancement, as his feathers had
8:38:31changed. It was a particular
8:38:34characteristic of most monstrous hawk
8:38:36species, in that they were visually
8:38:38identifiable not by size, but by
8:38:40coloration. It had been true of him as a
8:38:43windspeed hawk and now as a dragon hawk.
8:38:46But the new feathers were fantastic.
8:38:49They were literally made of solid fire
8:38:51as far as Carl could tell. They still
8:38:54looked like feathers, but the opaque
8:38:56portion was paper thin, and the rest of
8:38:58the feather was rich vermillion red
8:39:00flames. Lotus climbed on Doug, sitting
8:39:03on his crossed legs with her nose
8:39:05centimeters from his chin, as if a
8:39:07shorter distance between them would help
8:39:08her understand better. Did you learn a
8:39:11new skill? I got a new skill when I made
8:39:14high priestess. Do we get another at
8:39:16royal? She demanded. Doug poked her and
8:39:20Lotus glowed with green light before
8:39:22looking confused.
8:39:23What did it do? It's a regeneration
8:39:26spell. It applies to me and my living
8:39:29targets. That naturally includes my
8:39:32summoned vines, and that's what you saw.
8:39:35But more importantly, you didn't mention
8:39:37that you got a spell at commander rank.
8:39:40What did you get? Lotus ignored his
8:39:43question and went over to carefully
8:39:44attempt to pet Hawk. She didn't know if
8:39:47he was actually on fire or just looked
8:39:49like he was. And there was one easy way
8:39:51to find out. Not going to answer. Doug
8:39:55asked later. There is a royal rank
8:39:59feathered friend here and I have to
8:40:01know. She replied. She stretched out her
8:40:05hand and Doug laughed. The flames dimmed
8:40:08under her hand as Hawk adjusted them to
8:40:10not scorch the priestess, and Lotus
8:40:12beamed in pride, then smacked out the
8:40:14smoldering sections of her sleeve before
8:40:16repairing them. "So, they can burn, but
8:40:19they can also not burn. That is
8:40:22fascinating.
8:40:24You are a beautiful hawk," she cooed
8:40:27while the bird straightened in pride and
8:40:28spread his wings to show off his
8:40:30enlarged size and majesty. "The lotus
8:40:33appreciates me." Oh, you think because
8:40:36I'm not interrupting them that I'm not
8:40:38proud of you. I will pre your feathers
8:40:40all you want later. Let them have their
8:40:42fun. Carl replied with a soft laugh.
8:40:46Their little experiment this morning had
8:40:48not gone unnoticed, and Carl saw that
8:40:50there were dozens of teachers hanging
8:40:52out in the background along with a few
8:40:54news cameras and Director Jones of the
8:40:56Military Finance Committee. It was still
8:40:59nearly dark out. The sun wasn't even
8:41:01over the horizon yet, so most of the
8:41:03camp was still asleep. But the energy
8:41:05had caught the attention of someone in
8:41:07charge, and they had sent over cameras.
8:41:09"Hawk, make a loop over the camp." "The
8:41:13cameras are running, and this is your
8:41:14chance to really show off your majestic
8:41:16feathers for the world," Carl suggested.
8:41:20Hawk gave Lotus a friendly headbutt and
8:41:23then took to the sky. The glowing flames
8:41:26of his feathers lit up the sky as Hawk
8:41:28used flaming body to enhance his
8:41:30appearance and make himself easier to
8:41:32see. With a 5 m wingspan, Carl estimated
8:41:36that Hawk had to weigh over 15 kg now.
8:41:39Truly predigious for an evolved
8:41:41windspeed hawk. And the trail of fire
8:41:43that he left behind him as he swooped
8:41:44through the morning twilight made
8:41:46beautiful patterns for the cameras to
8:41:48follow. Doug smiled at Lotus. I see now
8:41:53you didn't want to step on Hawk's
8:41:55moment. We can discuss your new spell
8:41:57later. Don't think I will forget. You
8:42:00never forget about things. Even when you
8:42:03should forget about the little things,
8:42:06Lotus pouted. Doug and Tessa both
8:42:08laughed, knowing she was referring to
8:42:10something from her training years. Hawk
8:42:13is glorious, though. Not even the rocks
8:42:16will dare to challenge us from the sky
8:42:18now. Doug agreed.
8:42:21Carl focused on his mental spaces, which
8:42:24seemed to have settled a little now that
8:42:25Hawk had advanced. They were all at the
8:42:28same royal rank standard, and he could
8:42:30feel the possibility of adding another.
8:42:32But as he focused on all of the things
8:42:34that made up his mindscape, he found
8:42:36something new. There was a simple white
8:42:39cloth bag there. Carl stared at it for a
8:42:42moment, wondering where it had come
8:42:44from. He didn't recall getting a bound
8:42:46storage bag. Hey, does anyone else have
8:42:50a bag in their bound items? Like a piece
8:42:53of gear, but just a white cloth bag?
8:42:56Carl asked. There was a moment of
8:42:58silence as everyone checked. And then
8:43:00Dana surprised gasp. Where did that come
8:43:04from? That's why I asked you. I don't
8:43:07remember getting a bound bag. Was it
8:43:09from the trial? Morgana sighed and shook
8:43:12her head. Was nobody else paying
8:43:15attention? There were three chests and a
8:43:18bag for everyone. We opened the chests,
8:43:21then got distracted by the big shiny
8:43:23box, and the bags vanished into our
8:43:25bonded items. I've already moved my
8:43:28backpack and spare essentials into it.
8:43:30The bag holds much more than it looks
8:43:32like it should. Carl went back to his
8:43:35hammock and grabbed his backpack, then
8:43:37focused on tossing it into the bag he
8:43:39was bonded to. The whole pack vanished
8:43:42despite being three times the size of
8:43:44the white bag when it was outside his
8:43:46mind. And Carl could see from the top
8:43:48that he still had nearly half the space
8:43:50left. "That bag is brilliant," he called
8:43:54to the crowd on the ground as he
8:43:55realized that no longer would they have
8:43:57to lug around backpacks when on patrol
8:43:59or risk the packs getting damaged during
8:44:01a fight or trampled as they were forced
8:44:03to move after taking them off for a
8:44:05battle. Plus, Carl could now store his
8:44:08own personal items and not just things
8:44:10that were useful to one of the beasts.
8:44:13He would be able to actually carry
8:44:14useful everyday items without worrying
8:44:16about the weight or pack space. Well,
8:44:19with half his bag already taken by the
8:44:21essentials in the backpack, he would
8:44:23still have to worry about space, but not
8:44:25to the same extent. The outsiders were
8:44:28still distracted by Hawk as Carl slid
8:44:31down the ladder to rejoin the others in
8:44:33congratulating Doug on his advancement.
8:44:35Hawk came back as the sun climbed higher
8:44:38in the sky, and Carl realized that they
8:44:40had caused too much of a spectacle to
8:44:42have a quiet breakfast alone in the
8:44:43fort. They were going to have to join
8:44:46the guests for breakfast, but they could
8:44:48play the guessing game and see how long
8:44:50it took for someone to realize that
8:44:51Doug's aura had changed, and he was now
8:44:54a royal rank priest of the green dragon,
8:44:56the nature god. The camp was busy by the
8:44:59time that they came back as everyone had
8:45:01realized that Hawk had advanced and it
8:45:03was the talk of the academy that
8:45:05morning. He was their eyes in the sky
8:45:08and everyone knew that Carl was relaying
8:45:10scouting information from him to the
8:45:12rest of the students.
8:45:14So the fact that he was now royal rank
8:45:16and most likely even more capable than
8:45:18he had been at detecting enemy movements
8:45:20in advance was bound to get the students
8:45:22excited. The soldiers were just happy to
8:45:25have anything royal rank along the line.
8:45:28They didn't care if it was an elite, a
8:45:30foreign mage, or a friendly monster. It
8:45:33just had to be on their team. Most of
8:45:36the visitors were already packed up with
8:45:38their bags sitting beside them, and the
8:45:40cargo crews were loading the equipment
8:45:42into buses for the ride back to the
8:45:44closest safe he helipad. Even with the
8:45:46extra confidence in the safety of the
8:45:48area, they still weren't going to risk
8:45:50public figures flying this close to the
8:45:52border conflicts when they could safely
8:45:54send them by bus for the last hour of
8:45:55their journey. The dining hall was
8:45:58packed with elites about to go on shift,
8:46:00and everyone was too engrossed in
8:46:02stories of yesterday to be paying any
8:46:04attention to other groups outside their
8:46:06table. So Carl was reasonably certain he
8:46:08would have to wait for someone to
8:46:09notice. And wait, they did. By the time
8:46:13that the meal was over, nobody had
8:46:15noticed. And then the group was off to
8:46:17one of the training tents with Morgana
8:46:19while Bob went off to teach a class and
8:46:21Doug went to help with the healing core.
8:46:24There were always ongoing injuries, so
8:46:26all of the clerics who had downtime went
8:46:28to help out. And Doug had just gotten a
8:46:30new regeneration ability that seemed
8:46:32like it would be quite powerful.
8:46:34Lotus followed behind him, ready to take
8:46:36notes while Carl prepared to take his
8:46:38geography lessons. And Dana was dragged
8:46:41away by the magical knights to practice
8:46:43their new skills. "You don't need to
8:46:45practice your new skills, do you?"
8:46:48Morgana asked as she brought out the
8:46:50textbooks. "I'm good enough with the
8:46:52armor already, and the other skill is
8:46:54once per beast. I am not going to use it
8:46:57on them until they hit an absolute dead
8:46:59end. If they get to a bottleneck and
8:47:02they simply can't get past it even after
8:47:04the others have, then I will use the
8:47:06skill to let them evolve and advance to
8:47:09hopefully move them far enough forward
8:47:10that they can rejoin the main group.
8:47:13Carl explained.
8:47:15Morgana nodded. Good. Then you can
8:47:18continue lessons on schedule. Now we
8:47:21just need to actually get through a
8:47:23lesson once the rest of the students
8:47:24arrive with questions for you. It's not
8:47:27easy being famous.
8:47:29Just wait. You're about to find out. I
8:47:32can feel that you're at the bottleneck
8:47:34already, so you're almost certainly
8:47:35going to make royal rank now that you
8:47:37have new skills. Morgana looked curious.
8:47:41What do skills have to do with it? It's
8:47:44a theory that the beasts and I devised.
8:47:47One of the things that all royal rank
8:47:49creatures have in common is that they
8:47:51have a skill that is not common to their
8:47:52race. The same seems true of the elites
8:47:56I have met at royal rank or higher. They
8:47:59all have a skill that is not part of
8:48:00their basic kit. So now that you've
8:48:03gained some new skills from the trial,
8:48:05it should be much easier for you to make
8:48:07the transition through the bottleneck.
8:48:10The students came in as they were
8:48:11talking and remained silent so they
8:48:13didn't interrupt this vitally important
8:48:15discussion. Everyone wanted to know what
8:48:18it took to make the royal rank, and Carl
8:48:20had just dropped the equivalent of a
8:48:21nuclear bomb on their understanding of
8:48:23rank advancement.
8:48:25Most of the mages in the class had
8:48:27assumed that it was just a matter of
8:48:28potential. That most of the elites got
8:48:31stuck at commander rank because that was
8:48:33as good as they were. But what if it was
8:48:36a matter of lacking a skill that was
8:48:37compatible with their new rank? If what
8:48:40they needed to advance was a skill that
8:48:42could move to the royal rank, then the
8:48:44whole strategy behind their training
8:48:45would have to change. Or perhaps not for
8:48:48all of them. One of them was a lightning
8:48:51element mage and he now had chain
8:48:53lightning thanks to Carl donating it to
8:48:56the inscriptionists.
8:48:58While Carl was in history class, Dana
8:49:00was working hard to master the new
8:49:02skills that she had learned. Disruption
8:49:04blade was a simple one, as it operated
8:49:07the same way that she had seen Carl
8:49:09extend his barriers over his sword,
8:49:11except that it didn't need a blade to
8:49:13begin with. All she had to do was focus
8:49:15on the shape of the weapon that she
8:49:17wanted. And the spell would create one
8:49:19out of shimmering purple and silver
8:49:20energy. It was as beautiful as it was
8:49:23deadly, and it seemed to just cause
8:49:25anything that it hit to fall into
8:49:27separate pieces with no real resistance.
8:49:30Only when it hit a magical barrier did
8:49:32it provide resistance, acting as a solid
8:49:34blade in her hand. But the movements of
8:49:37the Wind Walker combat style were a much
8:49:40different story.
8:49:42She knew exactly how they were supposed
8:49:43to be performed, but her body had never
8:49:46moved that way before. She hadn't taken
8:49:49martial arts, done any sort of strength
8:49:51training, or even self-defense courses.
8:49:54The closest she had come to being in a
8:49:56fist fight was playing with the
8:49:57neighborhood kids when she was little.
8:50:00She had done dance classes, far too many
8:50:02of them, since she had entered the
8:50:04academy. But at the moment, she was
8:50:06wishing that they had included
8:50:07gymnastics in those courses. The combat
8:50:10style wasn't just a sword fighting
8:50:12style. There were movement skills and
8:50:14even kicks involved. And after half an
8:50:16hour, her whole body achd in muscles she
8:50:19didn't know that she had. Perhaps I can
8:50:22get Thor to cast refreshing lightning on
8:50:24me. She suggested as she slumped down to
8:50:27take a breather with the magical
8:50:29knights. Save that for when you are in
8:50:31combat. You need to train all your
8:50:34muscles to fight the way you want
8:50:35without external assistance so that if
8:50:38your group changes or you have to fight
8:50:40separately, you are not reliant upon a
8:50:42skill that isn't available. The lone
8:50:44female among the knights, whose name she
8:50:46had come to know was Ruth, informed her.
8:50:50How long did you train to learn to fight
8:50:51like that? Dana asked, hoping that the
8:50:54answer wouldn't be too long. Ruth
8:50:57smiled, and Dana heard the other knights
8:50:59laugh under their helmets. The magical
8:51:02knights are chosen from among the
8:51:04students who are picked for advanced
8:51:05training from early childhood in the
8:51:07orphanages.
8:51:08The ones who like to train to fight or
8:51:11who show a natural aptitude for magic
8:51:13without the divine injection awakening
8:51:15them. We all came from the red dragon
8:51:18orphanages. And we've all been training
8:51:20to be soldiers since before we started
8:51:22school. It was only a twist of fate that
8:51:24we all ended up as mages and then proved
8:51:27ourselves worthy to join the magical
8:51:29knights. she explained.
8:51:32Did you all grow up together then? Dana
8:51:35asked. Ruth shook her head. No, we all
8:51:40came from different locations.
8:51:42Those two are war orphans from the south
8:51:44near the coast. That one lost his
8:51:47parents in a workplace accident while
8:51:49this idiot and I were both turned in by
8:51:51our parents when they decided they
8:51:52couldn't afford us. Dana nodded. She had
8:51:56often seen it as a possibility that her
8:51:59own family would abandon her if they one
8:52:01day decided that it wouldn't hurt their
8:52:02public image too badly. It was hard
8:52:05enough for her father to hold down a job
8:52:07as it was. He didn't need a worse
8:52:09reputation that might put his access to
8:52:11charity in danger. Why don't you use
8:52:14your names? She asked hesitantly.
8:52:17It's a tradition of the magical knights.
8:52:20We are supposed to be anonymous as we
8:52:22often enforce penalties and hunt
8:52:24criminals.
8:52:26Giving out our names or routinely
8:52:28showing our faces defeats the purpose.
8:52:30But you're working with us for a while
8:52:32and it would just be too awkward not to
8:52:34have one person among us that you could
8:52:36properly talk to. So I chose to give up
8:52:38that anonymity.
8:52:40Dana nodded. That won't come back to
8:52:43harm you, will it? The knights laughed.
8:52:46Only if you end up on the wanted
8:52:48criminals list. You already know who I
8:52:51am, so I won't be among the ones to hunt
8:52:53you. The church would never allow the
8:52:56possibility that I might go easy on you
8:52:58or let you escape justice. Oh, that
8:53:01makes a lot of sense. I thought that you
8:53:04were more elite soldier sorts. I didn't
8:53:06realize that you did law enforcement as
8:53:08well. It's not really something that
8:53:10gets described in detail for most of us.
8:53:13We hear the horror stories of someone
8:53:15committing a crime so bad that the
8:53:17Inquisition has to come and take them
8:53:19away, but I had only seen the
8:53:20Inquisitors a few times in my life, and
8:53:22the clerics at our local church didn't
8:53:24really go into details," Dana explained.
8:53:28"That's understandable.
8:53:30Nobody wants to think too hard about how
8:53:33the Inquisition or church law
8:53:34enforcement works. I would guess that a
8:53:37lot of the lay priests who do the
8:53:38day-to-day work of the church don't even
8:53:40know the details. It's not part of the
8:53:43curriculum as it doesn't really matter
8:53:45what division of inquisitors comes for
8:53:47the criminals or what their specialty
8:53:49is. Most of the time when we show up, we
8:53:52just flash our identification and no
8:53:54more questions are asked. It's only the
8:53:57elites who need to know our skills when
8:53:59they're going to be fighting alongside
8:54:00us as allies, Ruth explained. The other
8:54:04knights got to their feet and Ruth
8:54:06helped Dana up before giving her a
8:54:08warning. stretch after you rest. Your
8:54:12muscles aren't used to proper training
8:54:14yet, and if you let them stiffen and
8:54:16cramp, you're likely to injure yourself
8:54:18and undo weeks or months of muscle
8:54:19memory training. Dana didn't have weeks
8:54:22or months worth of training to undo. But
8:54:24she got the point. If you injured
8:54:27yourself during training or tried to
8:54:29learn new skills while you had cramps,
8:54:31you would be learning it wrong and your
8:54:33muscles would remember how to do it as
8:54:34if you always had a cramp or an injury.
8:54:37The next exercise is one that I think
8:54:39you will like. As a practice of our
8:54:42movement skills, we will be playing tag.
8:54:45Only if you touch the ground, you're
8:54:47out. I will go first. You all have a
8:54:513-second head start. Ruth announced.
8:54:54Dana activated the wind walk core skill
8:54:57of her new combat style to move up and
8:55:00away from the magical knight. Out of
8:55:02mercy, Ruth didn't come after her first,
8:55:05and Dana managed to get a bit of
8:55:06distance beyond the 3 seconds, but she
8:55:09quickly realized that the delay was a
8:55:11trap. She didn't have all the practice
8:55:14that they did in maintaining the skill.
8:55:16And after 15 seconds, she began to
8:55:18stumble and nearly fell out of the sky
8:55:20as Ruth drove one of her companions to
8:55:22the ground, eliminating him by ground
8:55:24contact as he tried to dodge. Then one
8:55:27of the others moved so she was between
8:55:29him and Ruth. And Dana focused on her
8:55:31movement to get out of the way again. As
8:55:33the knight charged in her direction, she
8:55:35made it three steps, just enough to get
8:55:37out of the way, but then lost her focus
8:55:40and went tumbling to the ground. Her
8:55:42shield flared as she hit the grass and
8:55:44the wind was knocked from her lungs.
8:55:47Dana knew she wouldn't have any injuries
8:55:49as the barrier would protect her, but
8:55:51being winded by the rapid stop was never
8:55:53fun. It was also far from the first or
8:55:56last time that day when she would
8:55:58experience it. In a nest at top the
8:56:00tallest tree in his space, Hawk was
8:56:03working frantically to improve his
8:56:04skills. He was almost stronger than Rey.
8:56:08He could feel it. He just needed to push
8:56:10himself a bit harder to get his body to
8:56:12accept more mana, and he would be there.
8:56:15Rey watched with smug amusement as the
8:56:17Dragon Hawk pushed himself to the
8:56:19limits, trying to overcome the racial
8:56:21disparity between the two of them. At
8:56:24royal rank, her combat power had
8:56:26skyrocketed. While his primary ability,
8:56:29flaming body, had already been at royal
8:56:31rank, and it was just his body that
8:56:33underwent a minor transformation toward
8:56:35becoming a vermilion bird. He was almost
8:56:38there. Or perhaps he was a very juvenile
8:56:40vermilion bird, but Ray's racial memory
8:56:43said that they should be five times the
8:56:44size of his current 5 m wingspan. Until
8:56:48he started packing on the kilograms,
8:56:50there was no way that his body was going
8:56:52to support a power level higher than
8:56:53what she could show. Even her stones
8:56:56were on par with his flames. Thor
8:56:59thought it was all quite amusing as he
8:57:00floated in his pond, napping the
8:57:02afternoon away as he soaked up holy
8:57:04power. But Remy was doing her best to
8:57:06try to catch up to her senior siblings.
8:57:09They had the head start, and she was
8:57:11just a small snake. Well, not so small
8:57:15anymore at commander rank, but not
8:57:17nearly as big as Thor or Sister Ray.
8:57:20Remy sung happily to herself as she
8:57:22worked. She had been generously donated
8:57:25a whole new book of spells from the
8:57:27library last night, and she was eager to
8:57:29learn what all these new magics were. Of
8:57:32course, the library didn't know yet that
8:57:34they had loaned any books to Remy, but
8:57:36she was confident that they would
8:57:37understand since she didn't have hands
8:57:39to hold a pen and sign them out.
8:57:42Introduction to shamanistic magic sat
8:57:44open in front of her. Turn to the first
8:57:46page. Natural phenomenon are the domain
8:57:49of the shaman. From blinding rain and
8:57:51crashing lightning to the howling winds
8:57:54of a snowstorm. From the fiery lava of a
8:57:57volcanic eruption to the crushing waves
8:57:59of the ocean depths, all are within the
8:58:01domain of a shaman. That sounded pretty
8:58:04awesome. She only had basic water
8:58:07control, which couldn't really do much.
8:58:10But being able to control huge waves
8:58:12sounded fun. Big Brother Hawk would
8:58:15freak out and it would be hilarious.
8:58:17But it was the next paragraph that
8:58:19really caught her attention. Shamans are
8:58:22far more than a force of destruction.
8:58:25While the might of a lightning bolt can
8:58:26burn an enemy to cinders, a smaller jolt
8:58:29can restart a stopped heart. Under
8:58:32massive pressure, the normally gentle
8:58:34water can cut through solid steel. But
8:58:36water can also be a revitalizing force,
8:58:38refreshing the body and carrying healing
8:58:40magic through the veins. The druids and
8:58:43nature clerics might be the masters of
8:58:45the living beings, but the shaman is the
8:58:47master of the living world, and their
8:58:49healing skills should never be
8:58:51underestimated.
8:58:52Brother Thor wanted to be a healer.
8:58:54Healing was a noble profession. But Remy
8:58:57thought that he was more suited to
8:58:59protecting and regenerating.
8:59:01That was the way of the Sarah. You could
8:59:04hurt them, but the wounds just closed.
8:59:07But she might be able to do more than
8:59:09just her simple healing splash. With her
8:59:12nose, Remy flipped the pages looking for
8:59:15the healing spells. There was a whole
8:59:17chapter in this book dedicated to shaman
8:59:19healing, and she wanted to see what it
8:59:21said. However, she only made it halfway
8:59:24through, past the ice and lightning and
8:59:27fire attacks, when she found something
8:59:29even cooler than a healing spell.
8:59:31Chapter 7. totems.
8:59:34Defensive totem. Mana totem. Healing
8:59:38totem. There was a healing totem. Why
8:59:42did nobody ever tell her that was a
8:59:44thing? But what was a mana totem? You
8:59:47used mana to make totems. But what did
8:59:49it do? Remy flipped the page with her
8:59:52snout and stared at the diagram in front
8:59:54of her. Healing totem provides a
8:59:57constant stream of healing to all
8:59:59targets and rang. That sounded a lot
9:00:02like what Sister Lotus could do. And
9:00:04that spell was one of her favorites, so
9:00:06it had to be good. Remy looked at what
9:00:08the totem needed and began to build one
9:00:11out of the bits and pieces that were in
9:00:12her space. When she sent out totems, she
9:00:16didn't send the real ones, just a
9:00:17projection of the ones that she had made
9:00:19in here. So, they were never really
9:00:22smashed, and they could just be summoned
9:00:24over and over. The book talked about
9:00:27making them and transferring them to
9:00:28your mental space, but that was for
9:00:30common humans. She was a spirit snake
9:00:33and she had a space of her very own to
9:00:35work in. This sure was easier when she
9:00:38had a textbook. The last book had been
9:00:41all ancient mumbo jumbo, but this one
9:00:43was just gibberish letters for her to
9:00:45ignore and then very detailed diagrams
9:00:48with step-by-step instructions.
9:00:50Remy couldn't read the common language
9:00:52very well. She was much better with the
9:00:55ancient runic language that was used for
9:00:57spells, so she had no idea that the
9:00:59complex words were actually more
9:01:00instructions.
9:01:02Step by step, she made her new totem
9:01:05while Ry watched Hawk struggle to catch
9:01:07up to her. The bloodbath spider wasn't
9:01:10actually slacking. She was working on
9:01:12improving her silk as she sat in her
9:01:13web. It was better already now that she
9:01:16was at royal rank. But the new
9:01:18advancement had opened up new
9:01:19possibilities
9:01:21like fire retardant silk. So none of
9:01:25them noticed that Remy was actually the
9:01:26one making real progress that day or
9:01:29that she nearly had a healing totem
9:01:30functional by the time that Carl
9:01:32returned to the fort that night. By the
9:01:34next morning, she was reasonably certain
9:01:37that she had a working prototype. Her
9:01:39happy singing woke Thor, who actually
9:01:41lifted his head out of his pond so that
9:01:43he could see into her space more easily.
9:01:46"What are you making, little snake?" he
9:01:49asked curiously. "I made a healing totem
9:01:52from the information in this book. It's
9:01:55pretty cool, or it will be if it works
9:01:57like I think it will." According to the
9:02:00book, it's supposed to send out pulses
9:02:02of healing energy every second.
9:02:05So, your magic protects them and makes
9:02:07them regenerate and then the waves of
9:02:09healing will patch up the parts that are
9:02:10left over. Remy declared proudly.
9:02:14Oh, you thought it all out. So, you will
9:02:18do the extra healing while I do the
9:02:19extra protecting? Thor asked intrigued
9:02:22by her logic.
9:02:24Well, you are much bigger. I'm just a
9:02:27small snake. Remy replied confidently.
9:02:31But when you reach royal rank, you
9:02:33evolve, right?
9:02:35Thor asked.
9:02:36Yeah, but I don't know what it will be
9:02:38yet. Probably a shaman, maybe. Do snake
9:02:42shamans look different? Or will I be an
9:02:45actual naga shaman next? I don't feel
9:02:48like I'm growing arms, but perhaps? Thor
9:02:52shrugged, splashing water about. I don't
9:02:55know how snakes work. I'm not even
9:02:58certain I know how birds work anymore. I
9:03:01thought that they stayed the same color,
9:03:03but Hawk doesn't. But I think that if
9:03:06you want to be a Naga and have arms to
9:03:08hold your own totems, you could be one.
9:03:11Or you could stay a small and cute snake
9:03:13and just put the totems on the ground.
9:03:16They work well on the ground, and silly
9:03:18monsters like to chase them. The beasts
9:03:21had a lot to think about now that two of
9:03:23them were at the royal rank. Remy and
9:03:25Thor still had to advance, but their
9:03:27major concern was that there would be
9:03:29another space opening soon. A new space
9:03:32meant a new brother or sister, and none
9:03:34of them knew what sort of sibling they
9:03:36would like to have. We should get
9:03:38another one for the front with Thor.
9:03:41Thor and Oilia aren't enough to block
9:03:43the whole front. Remy suggested.
9:03:46Rey thought about that. If there was
9:03:49another, she could send her golems off
9:03:51on adventures more often.
9:03:53Yes, another one at the front would be
9:03:55good. Then we would have a person on
9:03:58each side of Thor. She agreed. I think
9:04:02we need another scout so I don't have to
9:04:04do it every time. I could be an extra
9:04:07mage and throw fireballs at things all
9:04:09day. Hawk thought. But Oilia can be a
9:04:13bear now. Does that mean she gets her
9:04:15own spot? Thor asked. None of them knew
9:04:19the answer to that. I think Oilia is
9:04:22like Dana. You can't pull her into the
9:04:24space because she's already an elite,
9:04:27Carl suggested.
9:04:29Oh, that makes sense. A human who wasn't
9:04:32an elite would be useless, though. So,
9:04:35what we need is a front fighter to
9:04:37accompany Thor and Oilia, who can also
9:04:40fly and scout when they need to. Rey
9:04:42announced.
9:04:44Carl laughed.
9:04:46Well, I will keep that in mind. But
9:04:48usually flying things don't want to
9:04:50fight up close. That's why they fly. Why
9:04:54are they making it hard for us? Remy
9:04:57complained. If we could find a way for
9:04:59Ry to grow wings, Thor began. Ry is
9:05:03pretty big to be learning to fly. But
9:05:06Remy is still waiting to evolve, right?
9:05:09Maybe she can learn to fly. Hawk
9:05:12offered. Remy thought about that. Maybe
9:05:15she could develop wings. Were there
9:05:18winged snakes? She hadn't seen them in
9:05:21her borrowed books, but there might be.
9:05:24Or perhaps she could work on a wind
9:05:26magic spell that would let her fly like
9:05:28Dana Mage and the Knights did. That
9:05:31still seemed like a lot of work when she
9:05:32could just catch a ride on someone to
9:05:34get where she wanted to be. Plus, if she
9:05:37wasn't touching the ground, how was she
9:05:39supposed to know where things were? Remy
9:05:42has a point.
9:05:44She relies too much on her tongue and
9:05:45ground vibrations. She would be a lousy
9:05:48flying scout. We will have to find Carl
9:05:51a better new member. While the beasts
9:05:53argued about who their new sibling
9:05:55should be, Carl relaxed along the line
9:05:57for his shift. He had decided that not
9:06:00calling them all out was the best course
9:06:02of action so that he didn't scare the
9:06:04hill giants away or make them think that
9:06:06there was an increased military force
9:06:07here. They already knew about him, but
9:06:10it was better not to let them believe
9:06:12there were more royal rank combatants
9:06:14here. Carl listened to them argue about
9:06:16the next team member all shift, but as
9:06:19they were returning to camp for dinner,
9:06:20Carl's group was intercepted by a
9:06:22military messenger with documents for
9:06:24them. Prince Carl, your extended group
9:06:27is needed for an emergency.
9:06:29Please bring them all to the bus and we
9:06:31will go straight to the landing pad. The
9:06:34messenger informed them. All of us,
9:06:37including the knights, Carl asked.
9:06:41Yes, sir. All of you, including the high
9:06:45priest, agent Morgana, commander
9:06:47McKenzie, and the knights. They all
9:06:50headed for the line, but the messenger
9:06:52stopped them. You should get your packs
9:06:54and other personal belongings. This
9:06:56could take more than a day. I am not
9:06:59privy to the details, but you should
9:07:01bring your belongings.
9:07:03Carl smiled. We all received a reward
9:07:06that allows us to store our belongings.
9:07:09We should be ready to go unless someone
9:07:11left something behind.
9:07:13Everyone shook their heads and they
9:07:15continued to the bus parking area. The
9:07:18driver started moving as soon as they
9:07:20were loaded, racing down the battered
9:07:21dirt road as fast as he safely could in
9:07:23the large vehicle. If they had a smaller
9:07:26vehicle that could carry a dozen
9:07:28passengers, it would have been better.
9:07:30But the smaller off-road vehicles were
9:07:32only suited to a maximum of five or six
9:07:34elites. The driver didn't say anything,
9:07:37and Carl didn't expect him to know
9:07:39anything except that it was urgent that
9:07:41this group was brought back to the
9:07:43helicopters.
9:07:44What was normally an hour-ong drive took
9:07:46them under 30 minutes at his breakneck
9:07:48pace with the passengers bouncing around
9:07:50in their seats, but their ride was
9:07:52waiting for them, and there were other
9:07:54elite teams already in the helicopter
9:07:56that Carl was being waved into. Good.
9:07:59They didn't have to search too long for
9:08:01you. Sorry about the short notice and
9:08:03what will be a long night. There is a
9:08:06monster outbreak that we need an
9:08:08additional prince to deal with. The
9:08:10crewman welcomed them as he shut the
9:08:12door behind Carl's team. What happened?
9:08:15Give me the abridged version if
9:08:17necessary.
9:08:18He insisted.
9:08:20We noticed an anomaly within the
9:08:22southeastern region near the Magma
9:08:24Dragons territory 1 hour and 40 minutes
9:08:26ago. It was then determined that the
9:08:29threat level of the monsters leaving the
9:08:31anomaly included high commander rank
9:08:33monsters of the ogre varieties. The
9:08:36usual response teams for the
9:08:37southeastern region are currently
9:08:39deployed to the mountain giant border
9:08:41which put you at the top of the response
9:08:42list. Carl nodded. I understand
9:08:47how large of an area has the threat
9:08:49spread to less than one square
9:08:52kilometer. But the monster density
9:08:54suggests that the ogres are preparing to
9:08:55defend the area.
9:08:57Carl side. Attacking a fortified
9:09:00position with an unknown enemy force was
9:09:02going to be a headache. But if there was
9:09:04an anomaly at the core of it, they might
9:09:06actually get some benefit out of this
9:09:08situation.
9:09:09How long is the flight? Doug asked. 1
9:09:13hour 15. All right. Wake me up when
9:09:17we're 5 minutes out. We just came off a
9:09:20shift on the line, and it would be
9:09:21better if we got a bit of sleep before
9:09:23fighting all night. He insisted. Of
9:09:27course, high priest. Carl closed his
9:09:30eyes to get some rest while they made
9:09:32their way to the target, headed straight
9:09:34south, so they didn't approach the frost
9:09:36giant border too closely before they
9:09:38reached their destination. It had been
9:09:40mostly quiet along that front, but there
9:09:42was no need to stir them up with
9:09:44powerful auras from a group of elites in
9:09:46transit. A change in the pitch of the
9:09:48helicopter's noise brought Carl out of
9:09:50his meditative trance, and he saw the
9:09:52groups who were there before his team
9:09:54preparing to depart.
9:09:56Everyone is going down close together.
9:09:59It's a few minutes early, but you can
9:10:00wake your team. The crewman announced
9:10:04there was no need. They were already all
9:10:06awake. There are no teams in the area at
9:10:10this point. You are the first. Group one
9:10:13will be on the north side. Group two is
9:10:16on the west. Carl nodded and accepted a
9:10:19map of the area from him. The area was
9:10:22flat and lightly forested without any
9:10:24nearby landmarks.
9:10:26It was safe to say that they would
9:10:28probably not be sneaking up on the ogre
9:10:30camp, even if they were dropped 5 or 10
9:10:32km out. They had circled to approach
9:10:36from the west, which would put Carl's
9:10:37team down first. Team two, get ready to
9:10:41deploy. How far out do you want to be?
9:10:45The pilot shouted over the intercom.
9:10:47Carl looked at his team and Doug
9:10:49gestured downward. then closed his fist.
9:10:52Drop us right on top of them. As close
9:10:54as you can get. Carl informed the pilot.
9:10:59That sounded like crazy talk to the
9:11:00other team. But for Carl's group, it
9:11:03wouldn't be so bad. He would summon the
9:11:06beasts right into combat while the
9:11:08magical knights could fly. The rest of
9:11:10them would form up on the edge of the
9:11:12ogre defenses, allowing them no time to
9:11:14shift their formations, and the fight
9:11:16would be on. The helicopter dropped fast
9:11:19100 meters from the ogres, as close as
9:11:22the pilot felt wasn't suicidal on his
9:11:24end, and Carl charged out at the head of
9:11:26his team, sending Hawk into the sky
9:11:28while Rey and Thor fell into position
9:11:30with the group. Remy found herself
9:11:33momentarily homeless, as she usually
9:11:35stood next to Dana, who was now with the
9:11:37magical knights, but she soon found a
9:11:39spot between Morgana and Doug to cast
9:11:41from. Carl fired three arrows with
9:11:45blizzard on them from left to right
9:11:47across the visible monsters, blinding
9:11:49and damaging the weaker ogres. As his
9:11:51team advanced, while Hawk began his
9:11:53bombardment from above, Oilia shifted
9:11:56into her new dire bear form, and Carl
9:11:59realized that he had greatly
9:12:00underestimated how large she was going
9:12:02to be. Oilia in were bear form and
9:12:05buffed was 3 m tall and must have
9:12:07weighed close to 300 kilos.
9:12:10Oilia in dire bare form was over 4 m
9:12:13tall while standing on all four feet.
9:12:16There was no comparison. The new form
9:12:18was massive, though she might not
9:12:20appreciate it if someone mentioned she
9:12:22was roughly the size of a delivery
9:12:24truck. Oilia and Thor alone were enough
9:12:27to hold the front line. It was hardly
9:12:29necessary to send Bob forward, much less
9:12:31the magical knights who had stepped up
9:12:33into the sky with Dana and tore into the
9:12:35ogres with their spells. Attacking from
9:12:38so close gave them all the advantages,
9:12:40and Dana's golems appeared deep within
9:12:42the enemy ranks, sewing chaos as they
9:12:45fought back to back. Then Ray lobbed a
9:12:48boulder in the air and Shadowstepped to
9:12:50it so she could do the same with her
9:12:52golems before hurling the boulder at the
9:12:54ogres. Then she retreated to her
9:12:56defensive position and began firing
9:12:58stone bullets at the enemy, keeping them
9:13:00from flanking the group. The ogres were
9:13:03mostly ascended, and with the royal rank
9:13:06chain lightning spreading from Carl's
9:13:08arrows, they were falling like crops
9:13:10being harvested.
9:13:12Even the blizzard wasn't going to take
9:13:14long to kill them, and Carl was prepared
9:13:16to fire more of the enhanced arrows into
9:13:18the deeper ranks near the anomaly. The
9:13:21ogres were preparing to charge at the
9:13:23invaders. But what Carl was waiting for
9:13:25was word from Hawk or Ray's golems that
9:13:27they had found the royal rank ogre
9:13:29variant that the army suspected was
9:13:30here. Cutting down the weak ones was a
9:13:33simple task when they had gathered like
9:13:35this. But if they couldn't find the
9:13:36leader fast enough, it might escape. A
9:13:40royal rank ogre loose in the wilderness
9:13:42was a catastrophe waiting to happen.
9:13:44Hawk, make sure that none of them run
9:13:46away. We don't want them causing
9:13:49problems somewhere else. From his
9:13:52vantage point, Hawk could see the whole
9:13:54formation, but from what he was relaying
9:13:56to Carl, it seemed that the ogres were
9:13:58gathering commanders for a
9:13:59counterattack.
9:14:00There are incoming two-headed ogres.
9:14:03Hawk warned. Those should be the ogre
9:14:06mages. Edin Carl thought they were
9:14:09called. They couldn't use too much
9:14:12magic, but their fireballs would be much
9:14:14more effective than anything that the
9:14:16other ogres had managed to accomplish so
9:14:18far. The other team will be down soon.
9:14:22Oilia seemed to greatly enjoy her new
9:14:24form, and her toxic claws left the ogres
9:14:27twitching and shivering with the
9:14:28slightest scratch as black poison spread
9:14:31from the wound. Commander rank lethal
9:14:34poisons were no joke. And even if they
9:14:36were only slightly wounded, the ogres
9:14:38would be dead within minutes unless they
9:14:39were healed. The fact that she was
9:14:42bigger than the ogres didn't help their
9:14:43chances, and a swat of her massive paw
9:14:46was enough to throw them off their feet
9:14:47and shatter bones. With Thor and so many
9:14:51mages, there was no danger of her losing
9:14:53her defensive barriers. But the group's
9:14:55spellcasters were mostly focused on
9:14:57dealing damage. Dana gracefully stepped
9:15:00down as an ogre turned its back and
9:15:02severed its head with her new disruption
9:15:04blade before stepping back up into the
9:15:06sky. Carl almost felt sorry for Bob.
9:15:10Everyone else had gotten so many
9:15:12ridiculous new powers while his new
9:15:14skills were much less flashy. He had
9:15:17gotten a new slam skill that sent out a
9:15:20shock wave in front of his shield when
9:15:21he attacked with it. And the blow was
9:15:23hard enough to send three rows of ogre
9:15:25staggering backward. But Carl couldn't
9:15:27tell what his second skill was or if he
9:15:30was even using it. Thor cleared a path
9:15:32with earthquake, then charged forward
9:15:35into it, gaining more ground and
9:15:37trampling the surviving ogres underfoot.
9:15:40Carl moved up, waiting for the Eden
9:15:42group to get a bit closer before he
9:15:43focused on them. However, the moment
9:15:46that Hawk hit the first of them with a
9:15:48rend explosion, Ray moved her golems to
9:15:50tear into them, racing the Dragon Hawk
9:15:52to see who could kill more of the real
9:15:54threats. They hated losing to each
9:15:57other, especially in cases where Hawk
9:15:59didn't have to do any real scouting
9:16:00duties. Are they even intending on
9:16:03letting the rest of us do anything?
9:16:05Morgana asked as she watched the ogres
9:16:08fall. Doug chuckled.
9:16:11Probably not. I forget that your magic
9:16:14doesn't have a very long range, and
9:16:16we've got so many ranged fighters right
9:16:18now without the threats of giant stones
9:16:20coming our way that not much is getting
9:16:22close. The witch doctor's magic was much
9:16:25like Blizzard or Oilia's toxic claws. It
9:16:30took a few seconds or a minute to deal
9:16:32its maximum damage. But nothing was
9:16:35living that long. The other group is
9:16:37coming our way, chasing the ogres. I
9:16:40don't think the ogres care. Hawk updated
9:16:44them. Any sign of a royal rank ogre in
9:16:47the group? Nothing so far. Not even many
9:16:51commanders, just some strong ones. The
9:16:54response to this appearance might have
9:16:56been overkill, Carl decided. But after a
9:16:59few seconds to look at the map, he
9:17:01realized that there were two coal mines
9:17:03within 10 km of this point. The loss of
9:17:06production would be a national security
9:17:08concern, so it was better to divert
9:17:10extra resources for the day. The
9:17:13emergency response fights were supposed
9:17:15to be a sure thing, not a hard fight,
9:17:17after all.
9:17:19Yes, they're starting to run. This is my
9:17:22time to shine. Hawk cheered as he flew
9:17:25off to bomb the desertters.
9:17:27He's just running away early so that he
9:17:29can say he didn't lose. Rey joked. That
9:17:33might be true, but it was Carl's orders
9:17:35to make certain that nothing escaped.
9:17:38That's his job. Don't give him a hard
9:17:40time and make him consider abandoning
9:17:42it. I don't want to be chasing ogres
9:17:44through the woods all night. The two
9:17:47groups began to converge, and Carl could
9:17:49see the fear in the other group leader
9:17:51face as he saw the spider golems putting
9:17:53in work to shred their way through the
9:17:55ogres, who had come from the other side
9:17:56of the anomaly to try to remove the
9:17:58threat. The golems weren't interested in
9:18:01the humans, though. Once the two groups
9:18:04got close enough that team one was
9:18:06becoming concerned about how controlled
9:18:07that carnage actually was, the golems
9:18:09turned to fight off in a different
9:18:11direction, leaving the last few dozen
9:18:13ogres between Carl's group and theirs
9:18:15alone.
9:18:16Carl noticed Hawk diving into the field
9:18:18of bodies and assumed he must have seen
9:18:20something that looked tasty or possibly
9:18:22a survivor that was hidden from his
9:18:24explosions. But the bird came back up
9:18:26with a sword clutched in its claws and
9:18:28made a large loop before divebombing the
9:18:30ogres using the blade as a projectile.
9:18:33Unsatisfying.
9:18:35Hawk informed him with great sadness as
9:18:38he followed the blade with a barrage of
9:18:39fireballs across the heads of the ogres.
9:18:42Very unsatisfying fight.
9:18:45Everything is too big to eat again. Remy
9:18:48agreed with great sadness.
9:18:51Hawk laughed and threw a rend attack at
9:18:52the ground, then dipped beneath the tall
9:18:54grass to pick something up. Here, try
9:18:58this. It might be tasty. He suggested.
9:19:02The bird tossed a large common grade
9:19:04ferret monster over the heads of the
9:19:06defenders, and Remy instinctively struck
9:19:08at it, dosing it with venom before
9:19:10giving it a squeeze to make sure it was
9:19:11finished.
9:19:13Oh, not bad. It's got a good texture. We
9:19:17should go out and do this more often.
9:19:20Carl sighed as the two beasts got
9:19:22distracted. If you're done with your mid
9:19:24battle snack, we've still got work to
9:19:26do. He reminded the weward pair. Remy
9:19:31shrugged off his concern. A large part
9:19:33of her damage output was her totems and
9:19:36blizzard spell, and both of those were
9:19:38still active. She had even given Lotus
9:19:41and Doug one of her healing totems to
9:19:42hold on to until they expired. She
9:19:45wanted to test them, and it looked like
9:19:47the targeting runes worked since they
9:19:49were not healing the ogres. But nobody
9:19:51was injured, so she couldn't be certain
9:19:53that they were properly healing anyone
9:19:54at all. Maybe once the other group got
9:19:57here, they didn't have refreshing
9:20:00lightning, so they might be taking some
9:20:02damage for the totems to heal. The two
9:20:05groups reached each other and Remy
9:20:07immediately rushed over to put her
9:20:08healing totems in the middle of the
9:20:10other group. They also hadn't taken much
9:20:13damage, but one warrior had a scrape on
9:20:15his arm which healed on the first pulse
9:20:17of the totems.
9:20:19Victory. I have proof that the healing
9:20:22totems work, Remy declared. Closing a
9:20:26scratch wasn't exactly a high standard
9:20:28of healing, but it was what they had to
9:20:30work with. And the healers in the other
9:20:32group didn't specialize in long duration
9:20:34healing like Lotus did. They would do an
9:20:37area heal at the end of the fight for
9:20:38all those little scratches and scrapes
9:20:40as they didn't affect the combat
9:20:42abilities of the group. Did the snake
9:20:45just cast a healing totem in the middle
9:20:46of our group? The other team's royal
9:20:49rank warrior asked.
9:20:52Yeah, she just learned the spell, but
9:20:54we've all got a lightning barrier on us,
9:20:56so nobody took any damage to test it.
9:20:59One of your guys had a scrape, so she
9:21:01put out the totems to prove that they
9:21:02worked properly," Carl explained. The
9:21:06team leader took a moment to make sure
9:21:08that he didn't hear Carl incorrectly.
9:21:11It was rare that anyone just learned a
9:21:13new skill without extensive training or
9:21:15some sort of special resource.
9:21:17Most of them had only learned a few
9:21:19since they started their second year at
9:21:20the academy. So to hear that a snake had
9:21:23just learned to make healing totems was
9:21:24mind-boggling.
9:21:26We will circle the anomaly back in the
9:21:28direction we arrived from, and we will
9:21:30meet you in the middle. It looks like
9:21:32most of the threat is cleared, but we
9:21:34will need to do a full sweep to ensure
9:21:36none of them fled. He responded instead
9:21:39of getting sidetracked by the shaman
9:21:41snake. I have a royal ranked dragon hawk
9:21:44hunting deserters and ensuring that
9:21:45nothing fled the area already. I will
9:21:48update you if we find anything. Carl
9:21:50agreed, then led his team toward the
9:21:52trail of carnage that the spider golems
9:21:54had left. There wasn't going to be much
9:21:57left to kill by the time that they
9:21:59double-cheed all the ogres to ensure
9:22:00they were dead and didn't have any
9:22:02magical items on them. But it was
9:22:04important that they did not leave
9:22:06survivors. And Rey had discovered that
9:22:08many of them had new types of rocks and
9:22:10magical plants.
9:22:12The plants could go to Thor for a bit of
9:22:14variety in his diet, but these special
9:22:16rocks didn't shine or glow. So Rey was
9:22:19collecting all that she could. As
9:22:21magical resources, many of them had
9:22:23purposes beyond simply decoration,
9:22:26including a few fire elemental stones
9:22:28that Carl saw could be used to make
9:22:29concoctions to help Hawk and a water
9:22:31element stone to help Remy. He really
9:22:34had to put more work into finding all
9:22:36the ingredients that went into these
9:22:38concoctions.
9:22:40There was a very real chance that he
9:22:41might be able to bring the team to the
9:22:43peak of royal rank in record time if he
9:22:45could find the identified ingredients.
9:22:48The problem was that none of the names
9:22:49it gave were the common ones in use for
9:22:51the items that he needed. So when he
9:22:53asked about them, there was only a slim
9:22:55chance that a librarian of the blue
9:22:56dragon or some other researcher might
9:22:58recognize the ancient name for the
9:23:00resource. None of the stones or
9:23:03resources in the spaces could make a
9:23:04resource that he hadn't tried yet. There
9:23:07was a chance that some of them could be
9:23:09used twice, but from what he knew of
9:23:11growth resources, they usually didn't
9:23:13have the same level of effect the second
9:23:15time. The others were picking up random
9:23:18items as they progressed, mostly
9:23:20stuffing them into the silk bags on
9:23:21Thor's sides so they could donate them
9:23:23to the armory for credits. The spider
9:23:26golems made their way to the other team,
9:23:28then doubled back, looting what they
9:23:30could understand from the instructions
9:23:32Ry gave them. Mostly it was larger magic
9:23:35items that the ogres had, which baffled
9:23:37the other team. "Where are you even
9:23:39going to put all that? You can't
9:23:42possibly need a load of awakened and
9:23:44ascended rank weapons and jewelry," he
9:23:46asked. "We put it in bags on Thor and
9:23:50then we load it in the helicopter when
9:23:52we leave. It keeps the mainline stocked
9:23:55with random stuff and sometimes there is
9:23:57an actual treasure." The team leader
9:24:00looked around at the mess and then at
9:24:01the anomaly.
9:24:03Should we check that? It might still be
9:24:06allowing monsters out, he asked. Ry,
9:24:10send a golem in and see what happens.
9:24:13Carl instructed.
9:24:15The golems jumped into the anomaly,
9:24:17spiked four limbs first, and the group
9:24:19anxiously waited for a few seconds until
9:24:21Rey gave her update. It's empty. No
9:24:25treats.
9:24:26Carl shook his head at the other group
9:24:28leader. The golems report that it is
9:24:31empty. No targets. Then random items
9:24:34began flying out of the entrance to the
9:24:36anomaly. Hey Charles, is it a lottery
9:24:39machine? Just paying out after we beat
9:24:42the defenders. One of the other team
9:24:44members called to their leader. How the
9:24:47hell should I know? Just look for
9:24:50valuables.
9:24:51Prince Charles laughed. It was actually
9:24:54just the golems throwing anything that
9:24:56looked valuable out of the anomaly. None
9:24:59of the team members wanted to risk going
9:25:01in as anomalies were known to close
9:25:03unexpectedly and you could well be
9:25:05trapped inside indefinitely. But the
9:25:07golems could just be dismissed if it
9:25:08started to close. Everyone had to be
9:25:11attentive if they were going to sort the
9:25:13loot, though. The golems were just
9:25:15throwing stuff out without looking at
9:25:17the exit. So, if the next item out was a
9:25:19weapon or a chest of coins, you could
9:25:21take some real damage if it hit you.
9:25:24There was a surprising amount of stuff
9:25:25coming flying out of that anomaly. And
9:25:28Carl began to wonder what in the world
9:25:29was going on when the golems reappeared,
9:25:31holding a large box between them and
9:25:33dragging a massive ogre corpse. Rey, I
9:25:37thought that there were no enemies
9:25:38inside.
9:25:40No treats inside. Just a smelly guy. He
9:25:43doesn't look tasty at all. They killed
9:25:46it once all the good stuff was gone.
9:25:49That sounded an awful lot like the final
9:25:51boss of a dungeon instance. But it was a
9:25:54commander rank ogrelord, and he was
9:25:56wearing the mangled remains of a very
9:25:58fancy set of plate armor. The other team
9:26:01began to strip him down, hoping that
9:26:03something could be salvaged, while
9:26:04Carl's team did their best not to laugh
9:26:06at Ray's attempt to look innocent. Carl
9:26:09hadn't said anything out loud, but it
9:26:11was pretty clear that she had lied to
9:26:13him about what was inside the anomaly.
9:26:16While they were looting the ogre lord,
9:26:17the anomaly shimmerred and turned red,
9:26:20then blue before stabilizing into an
9:26:22oval portal. Did it just stabilize into
9:26:25a dungeon entrance? Prince Charles
9:26:28asked. Carl turned to the clerics.
9:26:32If anyone knew, it would be them. Both
9:26:35of the clerics with the other team were
9:26:37in white with gold trim. High priests of
9:26:39the main branch, the healing
9:26:40specialists.
9:26:42They began to cast a spell, creating
9:26:44some sort of glowing barrier over the
9:26:46portal as they chanted and prayed. It
9:26:49took about 10 minutes before they were
9:26:51finished. And then the cleric stood and
9:26:53smiled at them. It is now a stable, low
9:26:56commander ranked dungeon. There should
9:26:58be four commander rank bosses in the
9:27:00dungeon while twothirds of the ogres are
9:27:02still ascended. It should be stabilized
9:27:05now. And if it is, then the ogres would
9:27:08be trapped inside.
9:27:10That also means that we got all of the
9:27:12ones that escaped after it formed. If
9:27:14there were any of them still wandering
9:27:16around, the anomaly wouldn't have
9:27:18stabilized.
9:27:20One of the clerics, a man in his late
9:27:2220s with his head shaved to hide a
9:27:23severely receding hairline, explained.
9:27:27"Who do we call first?" Carl asked. This
9:27:31was the first time that he had been on a
9:27:33mission like this, but the last time he
9:27:35had found a system related thing. He
9:27:37contacted the Inquisition who handled it
9:27:39all for him. The cleric pointed behind
9:27:42Carl, and the magical knights laughed.
9:27:45Ruth nodded before replying.
9:27:48He has a point. Normally, you call the
9:27:51Inquisition and they send a team to
9:27:53secure the area or one of the elite
9:27:55security teams if we don't have an
9:27:56Inquisitor nearby, but we're already
9:27:59here.
9:28:00I will call it in and then we can let
9:28:02the church's asset management teams move
9:28:04in. That makes sense. I wonder how long
9:28:08it takes to reset after a team goes
9:28:10through. Carl suggested
9:28:14that's part of what the next teams to
9:28:15arrive will determine so that they can
9:28:17maximize the benefit. Of course, we
9:28:20already got all the loot from going
9:28:22through once split between the two teams
9:28:24with some extra ogres from the respawn.
9:28:27Prince Charles noted. Carl sighed and Ry
9:28:31gave the entrance a longing look. As
9:28:34efficient as it might be to send your
9:28:35beasts through the dungeon, protocol is
9:28:37to leave it respawn so that they can
9:28:39make a proper investigation.
9:28:41Some dungeons respawn on a timer after
9:28:43death and not all at once, so it might
9:28:46only be partially respawned if we clear
9:28:48it now, he explained.
9:28:51Bob and Doug both nodded in agreement.
9:28:54They had been through this before. All
9:28:57right, I guess we just call in and wait.
9:29:00I will let Hawk scout until our ride
9:29:02arrives. Hawk was happy to comply and he
9:29:05took off to go see if there was anything
9:29:07interesting in the area. The two nearby
9:29:10coal mines would be close enough for him
9:29:12to scout, but he didn't want to scare
9:29:13them, so he would stay out of sight.
9:29:16Chances are he wouldn't see anything
9:29:18more than some common monsters, but some
9:29:21of those were tasty, like the boores. If
9:29:24there were wild boores, he might grab
9:29:26one just for old times sake.
9:29:29Unfortunately, as a royal rank beast,
9:29:31everything fled the moment that they
9:29:33sensed him, and the only creatures he
9:29:35could find were the ones that hoped that
9:29:36going to ground or freezing in place
9:29:38would be less likely to attract
9:29:39attention. The humans might have no idea
9:29:42that he was here, but the other beasts
9:29:44knew, and they were terrified. The
9:29:47inhabited areas of the nation were
9:29:49regularly patrolled to clear out
9:29:50stronger monsters, and even an awakened
9:29:53rank monster could live like a king in
9:29:54many areas. So, they were not at all
9:29:56prepared for a royal rank bird monster
9:29:58to show up this far from the wild
9:30:00territories.
9:30:02"Oh, there is a helicopter." "No, three
9:30:05of them, all from different directions.
9:30:08Did we do something to annoy them?" Hawk
9:30:11asked. "I don't think so. They're just
9:30:15excited that the anomaly stabilized into
9:30:17a dungeon. Hawk returned to the group
9:30:20now that there were helicopters and
9:30:22people who might not understand that
9:30:23they were on the same team. Humans were
9:30:26slow like that. All of the beasts except
9:30:29Thor retreated into their spaces as the
9:30:31teams approached. Thor had Tessa sitting
9:30:34on his back, so it should be pretty
9:30:36immediately obvious that he wasn't a
9:30:38threat. But the others didn't trust
9:30:40strangers quite that much.
9:30:42The first thing that Carl noticed was
9:30:44that while they were all green, the
9:30:46three aircraft all had different logos
9:30:48on them. One was a church group, one had
9:30:51an official government logo on it, and a
9:30:53third had a symbol that Carl didn't
9:30:55recognize. Only when it got within a
9:30:58kilometer could Carl read the logo for
9:31:00the Bureau of Elite Development. That
9:31:02should be a sufficiently varied group to
9:31:04make all the decisions that needed to be
9:31:06made here. The emergency had been
9:31:09solved. Now it was just up to the teams
9:31:11to gather the data that they needed. The
9:31:14sun was beginning to set as the bureau
9:31:16team was the first to land next to the
9:31:17gathered elites. The side door swung
9:31:20open and Colonel Valerie stepped out
9:31:22onto the trampled grass. Seeing that it
9:31:25was the big boss, Carl, Morgana, and
9:31:28Prince Charles all came forward to greet
9:31:30her. Colonel, good to see you again. The
9:31:34area has been scouted and verified
9:31:36secure. There is nothing above common
9:31:38rank within a 2 km radius. Carl greeted
9:31:42her. Look at you all professional.
9:31:46I like the new armor, by the way. That
9:31:48had to have cost a pretty penny. She
9:31:51replied with her usual business scowl
9:31:53firmly in place. It's a skill, actually.
9:31:57Free repairs. I just need to summon it
9:32:00again. More familiar faces followed her
9:32:03out. Jodie, Anise, Dave, and Jill led
9:32:07six more unfamiliar faces out of the
9:32:09helicopter, all carrying large crates of
9:32:11gear for whatever they were doing here.
9:32:14I hope that you weren't in a hurry to go
9:32:15anywhere. There is a lot of work to be
9:32:18done, and we are going to need both of
9:32:20your teams to remain in place for
9:32:22security and testing purposes.
9:32:24Colonel Valerie announced as the bureau
9:32:26members disembarked and prepared to set
9:32:28camp. Understood, Colonel. Let me know
9:32:32what you require and I'm certain we can
9:32:34sort it out. Carl agreed while Charles
9:32:37simply nodded and walked away. The
9:32:40government and church teams landed on
9:32:42the opposite side of the battlefield and
9:32:44two security teams charged out to make
9:32:46sure that the monsters were truly dead.
9:32:48They would realize soon enough that
9:32:50there was no need. Rey had already done
9:32:53that when she was looking for pretty
9:32:54rocks and loot for Thor's bags. As the
9:32:57other team spread out and checked the
9:32:59corpses, they began to pile the ogres
9:33:01into great mounds, preparing for either
9:33:03burial or cremation, so that the rotting
9:33:06ogre flesh didn't attract swarms of
9:33:07scavengers.
9:33:09They might not be brave enough to come
9:33:11too close to the elites, but they would
9:33:13pick away at the edges of the
9:33:14battlefield, and gorging themselves on
9:33:16commander rank ogres might be enough to
9:33:18increase a few of the lowest common
9:33:20grade monsters strength to the point
9:33:21that they might be a real threat to the
9:33:23villages and mines. It didn't really
9:33:26take much for the average village to be
9:33:28threatened. An awakened rank boar would
9:33:31be a nuisance to outlying farms, but a
9:33:33swarm of awakened rank rodents would be
9:33:35a nightmare to try to purge from the
9:33:36village. The problem was that it was
9:33:39beginning to get dark already, which
9:33:41would make it difficult for the teams to
9:33:42work on the cleanup and far too easy to
9:33:45miss valuables as they worked. Part of
9:33:48their job was to collect the magical
9:33:49items off the bodies and ensure that
9:33:51valuables from the anomaly were not left
9:33:53on the ground to be collected by other
9:33:55monsters, which the presence of multiple
9:33:57magical items would attract. Carl
9:34:00watched the annoyed and dejected faces
9:34:02of the newly arrived teams who were
9:34:04making a strategy to deal with the mess.
9:34:07Why don't I send my beasts to take care
9:34:08of it? They can sense magical items more
9:34:12easily than any of us, and they're
9:34:13strong enough to pile the bodies. Carl
9:34:16suggested.
9:34:18Oh, he's thinking ahead. We can take the
9:34:21really good bits and give them the rest.
9:34:24Hulk replied greedily. Don't you have
9:34:27enough? Let the little ones get
9:34:29something. It's not like you actually
9:34:32need anything here. Ry already got the
9:34:35best stuff off them. Carl sighed. Why
9:34:39don't we have Hawk and Ray loot while
9:34:41Thor and Oilia stack the bodies? Then
9:34:44when we're done, Hawk can set them all
9:34:46on fire. Remy suggested helpfully. Thor
9:34:50and Oilia.
9:34:52Carl asked. They're the two biggest.
9:34:56Remy replied, dipping her head in the
9:34:58Remy equivalent of a shrug. I noticed
9:35:01that you didn't include yourself in that
9:35:03deployment. Remy pouted at him. I don't
9:35:07have hands. How am I supposed to loot
9:35:09anything? You have water control. You
9:35:12can strip them of armor, rings, and
9:35:14weapons as well as anyone else. Thor
9:35:17chuckled. Oh, you got called out. Time
9:35:21to join the cleanup team, little sister.
9:35:25You three go ahead and I will get the
9:35:27bear to help me pack the trash. The
9:35:30Sarah wandered over and gently headbutt
9:35:32Doilia, who was talking to Bob, then
9:35:34looked at the ogres and motioned for her
9:35:36to follow. Did I just get drafted to
9:35:39help clean up? she asked incredulously.
9:35:43"Your bear form is second biggest on the
9:35:45team. Plus, now that you're fully bare,
9:35:48I can enlarge you without you having to
9:35:50rage." Carl laughed. Oilia frowned. "Why
9:35:56do I get the feeling that I just became
9:35:57an honorary member of the beast squad? I
9:36:00mean, you are a 4 m bear in disguise."
9:36:04Thor thinks you're a big cuddly new
9:36:06friend. Thor nodded happily and bumped
9:36:08Oilia again, encouraging her to come
9:36:11clean with him. Fine, but I will have
9:36:14you know that I'm not a maid. She
9:36:16informed the Sarah, who promptly began
9:36:18tossing ogre bodies on a pile. She
9:36:21transformed and Carl cast brutality on
9:36:24everyone so they could toss about the
9:36:26ogre corpses more easily. The new
9:36:29arrivals seemed shocked to see them
9:36:31already at work while they were still
9:36:32making plans, but the last bits of
9:36:35daylight were already fading, and Carl
9:36:37didn't know if anyone knew a good light
9:36:38spell. The border forces would use them
9:36:41for night raids, but Carl had never seen
9:36:44anyone on his team actually cast one
9:36:45beyond the minor one they taught mages.
9:36:48"Are they doing the work for us?" One of
9:36:51the government security guards asked.
9:36:54Yeah, they will load the bags on the
9:36:56lightning sero with magical items as
9:36:59they can sense them from a distance.
9:37:01Then they will stack the bodies and the
9:37:03dragon hawk will light them on fire.
9:37:06Carl explained.
9:37:08Oh, that's a dragon hawk. I thought it
9:37:11was a baby vermilion bird, the security
9:37:13guard replied while giving Hawk a
9:37:15suspicious look. He has been evolving as
9:37:18he gained power. He just reached royal
9:37:21rank and the change in coloration
9:37:23happened. Then the security team shook
9:37:26their heads at the thought of a royal
9:37:27rank dragon hawk loose in the area. But
9:37:30he seemed to be quite tame and wasn't
9:37:32getting aggressive even when he got
9:37:33close to the strange humans. As they got
9:37:36into it, Oilia was beginning to enjoy
9:37:38herself, scooping the bodies up with her
9:37:40claws and tossing them across the
9:37:42battlefield onto the nearest pile. She
9:37:45could see why Thor was so into it and
9:37:47why he was using both his upper horns
9:37:49and his tail to swat bodies. The answer
9:37:52to Carl's question about light came from
9:37:54the bureau team. Jill cast a bright
9:37:57light above the battlefield to
9:37:58supplement the light coming from the
9:38:00newly formed dungeon entrance. The work
9:38:03was going quickly and Thor had already
9:38:05dropped off two sets of bags at the camp
9:38:07so he could continue to get loaded down
9:38:09with loot from the ogres.
9:38:11Now that they weren't planning to keep
9:38:13or carry any of it, they were just
9:38:14taking anything magical and putting it
9:38:16in the bags. The others could sort it
9:38:19out and load it in a vehicle to take it
9:38:21away. That was somehow satisfying even
9:38:24to Oilia, who was doing her best not to
9:38:27laugh as the corpses piled up and Thor's
9:38:29loot bags filled again. Hey boss, that's
9:38:32all the loot. Now we just need to move
9:38:35the last bodies and Big Brother Hawk can
9:38:38light them on fire. Remy informed them a
9:38:41few minutes later, right before she came
9:38:43slithering into the camp, terrifying the
9:38:45workers who hadn't known she was here.
9:38:47The squeals of terrified humans made the
9:38:50other beasts and the nature priests
9:38:51laugh, while Remy just slithered up
9:38:53Carl's back to look around with her head
9:38:55a meter above his. A little warning
9:38:58would be appreciated. Man, you can't
9:39:01just surprise us with a venomous snake.
9:39:04One of the church's workers complained.
9:39:07There is a giant spider out there as
9:39:08well. kindly don't attack them as
9:39:10they're coming off shift. They put in
9:39:12significant effort to gather all that
9:39:14loot before they stack the ogres.
9:39:17Carl reminded them. Colonel Valerie
9:39:19gestured toward the piles. You can have
9:39:22Hawk light them up now. Just ask him to
9:39:25make sure they're burning hot and not
9:39:27billowing smoke. This is going to smell
9:39:30bad no matter what. And roast ogre
9:39:32doesn't smell much better than day old
9:39:33dead ogre in the sun. One of the clerics
9:39:36chuckled and a golden barrier surrounded
9:39:38the camp area which was just outside the
9:39:41battlefield where Carl's team had
9:39:43finished the fight. Anything closer
9:39:45would have been soaked with blood. So,
9:39:47they had chosen to camp further from the
9:39:49anomaly instead of setting up a
9:39:51defensive perimeter around it. The
9:39:53cleric spell took effect and Carl
9:39:55noticed that the smell of sweaty bodies
9:39:57instantly vanished. That was a valuable
9:40:00skill for anyone to have in the field,
9:40:02removing scents from a camp. That was
9:40:05the easiest way for monsters to track
9:40:07you down while you were sleeping. But
9:40:09today, it was more important to keep the
9:40:11smell of burning ogres out. It didn't
9:40:14take long for Hawk to have the piles
9:40:16cheerfully burning with massive flames
9:40:18licking at the sky as the dragon hawk
9:40:20swooped back and forth, adding fire to
9:40:22the ones that were beginning to smoke.
9:40:24Despite the amount of fat on their
9:40:26bodies, they didn't actually burn all
9:40:28that well. And without Hawk or a fire
9:40:30mage, they would have had to dig a
9:40:32massive hole to bury them all.
9:40:34The teams were setting up their tents
9:40:36and the other response team was pulling
9:40:38a massive canvas construct out of a bag
9:40:40that the church team had brought. But
9:40:43Carl and his team had no intentions of
9:40:45sleeping on cheap CS or putting in all
9:40:47that work to erect a tent. Rey, would
9:40:50you like to make us a temporary fort?
9:40:53Carl asked just us. The magic knights as
9:40:57well. one fort big enough for us all at
9:41:02ground level, but you can suspend
9:41:03hammocks for everyone in it. Ry got to
9:41:06work, using a number of down trees as
9:41:08the base for her latest work of art and
9:41:10spinning a new fort that Carl could tell
9:41:12would top all that came before it. At
9:41:15first, it looked fairly normal, straight
9:41:18walls and a steeply sloped roof. Then
9:41:20she began to add fake windows to the
9:41:22walls and a large spire at the front.
9:41:26She was recreating the capital cathedral
9:41:28out of silk at the scale for a 12person
9:41:30tent. She even went as far as to grab a
9:41:33crate with a camp stove from the
9:41:35supplies to put in the fireplace hearth
9:41:37she had designed at the base of the
9:41:38cathedral's iconic chimney which in
9:41:40reality led to the kitchens. You have
9:41:43got to be kidding me. Someone muttered
9:41:46from the far side of the group as Ry was
9:41:48putting the finishing touches on her
9:41:49masterpiece.
9:41:51Ry had learned to make her silk quite
9:41:53stiff when needed, so the structure was
9:41:55most likely self-supporting. But she had
9:41:57still used a halfozen trees shaped into
9:41:59posts for the foundation, quickly
9:42:01carving them to the dimensions she
9:42:02needed with her limbs. Carl heard Lotus
9:42:05giggle. It's a masterpiece, a true work
9:42:09of art by Princess Ray. Now, it might
9:42:12seem a bit odd to have it placed out
9:42:14here in the middle of nowhere, but we
9:42:15can probably leave it for future
9:42:17visitors. They normally build a building
9:42:20over the dungeon entrances, right? One
9:42:23of the government agents sideighed.
9:42:25While that is true, the construction
9:42:27normally doesn't include a scale replica
9:42:29of the capital cathedral made of royal
9:42:31rank silk. First off, do you have any
9:42:34idea what that tent is worth in raw
9:42:36materials alone?
9:42:38Second, why? Just why? Lotus giggle
9:42:43turned to full out laughter from most of
9:42:44Carl's group, leaving Bob to answer. Rey
9:42:48likes to make a statement. There are new
9:42:51people here and you didn't show her
9:42:52enough respect as a princess, so she
9:42:54decided to show off a little and help
9:42:56you appreciate her. He explained
9:43:00the government workers needed a moment
9:43:01to process that bit of information. We
9:43:04don't have an official protocol for
9:43:06that, do we? Are beasts bonded to an
9:43:09elite considered an extension of their
9:43:11rank?
9:43:12Do we treat them the same? Is it based
9:43:15on their intelligence and species? One
9:43:18of them asked his supervisor.
9:43:20The man got a contemplative look on his
9:43:22face. There is no unified policy, but I
9:43:26would say that when it's a royal rank
9:43:27spider the size of a small car, it
9:43:29probably wouldn't hurt to be a bit more
9:43:31respectful. The magic knights laughed as
9:43:34Ry put the final touches on her
9:43:36masterpiece and came to stand out front.
9:43:39The flaps of the front wall fell closed
9:43:41around her, creating the false image of
9:43:43the front of the cathedral. Then she
9:43:44vanished into her space, ready for a nap
9:43:47after all that work cleaning and setting
9:43:49camp. Dana stuck her head in the door,
9:43:52then turned back to the group, laughing,
9:43:55she even set it up like the cathedral.
9:43:57The hammocks are upstairs while the main
9:43:59floor is open with the stove. Plenty of
9:44:02room to set up tables for breakfast or
9:44:04hold meetings, she explained. The upper
9:44:08floor also had a curtain at the back for
9:44:10a shower room, though the shower spell
9:44:12wasn't a ray specialty. The clerics
9:44:15could take care of that in the morning,
9:44:17or one of the mages. But as Carl thought
9:44:21about it, Remy had a thunderstorm spell,
9:44:23so she could make it rain on command as
9:44:25well. There was no reason that his group
9:44:28would ever have to go without good
9:44:30hygiene. "What is the watch schedule for
9:44:32the evening?" Prince Charles, the leader
9:44:35of team 1, asked as everyone gathered
9:44:38inside the glowing dome that was
9:44:39protected from the smell of burning
9:44:41ogre. The night watches will be taken by
9:44:44the security teams. They have the
9:44:46rotation already planned and station
9:44:49set. One of the government
9:44:51representatives explained with a gesture
9:44:53to the edge of the camp where men in
9:44:55black uniforms were stationed. Carl
9:44:57wasn't certain that was going to be
9:44:59sufficient, but unless there was an
9:45:00attack by something stronger than what
9:45:02Hawk had detected in the area, it was as
9:45:04good as any other night watch. "I will
9:45:07make sure they don't miss anything," Rey
9:45:10added as she prepared to head to the
9:45:12bell tower of her new fort. There were
9:45:15windows on all sides, so she could scout
9:45:17the whole area without moving much, and
9:45:19she would blend in perfectly with her
9:45:21own silk, so there was a good chance
9:45:23that nobody would ever know that she was
9:45:24up there resting and watching for a
9:45:26chance to dice something into snack-
9:45:28sized bits. She was destined to be
9:45:31greatly disappointed, and even Ry knew
9:45:33it. But that didn't mean that she wasn't
9:45:35going to keep a diligent watch until the
9:45:37sun started to come above the horizon,
9:45:39and she switched spots with Hawk so she
9:45:41could get her morning nap in. It was
9:45:43good to be outside in her web on watch
9:45:45again. In the army camp, there were so
9:45:48many people around that she wasn't
9:45:50really on watch. She was just observing
9:45:52the humans. Here, there was a chance,
9:45:55however minuscule, that something might
9:45:57actually stumble into the traps that she
9:45:59had quietly set around the fort as she
9:46:01built it. For the elites in the fort, it
9:46:04was a surprisingly peaceful morning. But
9:46:06the silence was such a stark contrast to
9:46:08the constant sounds of artillery, either
9:46:10nearby or distant, that they all found
9:46:12themselves unable to remain in bed. Doug
9:46:16adjusted his robes as he stretched the
9:46:18morning stiffness from his muscles. We
9:46:20will start on breakfast downstairs.
9:46:23I brought in tables and benches last
9:46:25night so we can eat in the fort. Did you
9:46:28want me to grab something from the
9:46:29supply tent to add to it? Carl shook his
9:46:32head as did most of the others. But
9:46:35Lotus smirked. I have found a good thing
9:46:37in their supplies. I will bring some
9:46:40over as long as it's not mislabeled.
9:46:43She announced. The little cleric jumped
9:46:46out the window and slid down the sloping
9:46:48roof, then onto the ground while Tessa
9:46:50laughed. You know, she did the same
9:46:53thing from her room in the dorms when we
9:46:55were in school. nearly landed on High
9:46:58Priest Gerald one day, only centimeters
9:47:00from stomping his head. She laughed.
9:47:04Lotus returned only a few seconds later
9:47:06with a large carton of liquid eggs. That
9:47:09was a true luxury in the field as they
9:47:11had to be kept refrigerated or frozen,
9:47:14so they weren't sent to army units.
9:47:16Instead, you got powdered eggs, which
9:47:19were later rehydrated and not nearly as
9:47:21good. Oh, Lotus found the good stuff.
9:47:25I'm sure that the government officials
9:47:27will miss that, but it's going to make
9:47:29for a great breakfast.
9:47:31Doug laughed as he started to cast
9:47:33nature magic to produce fresh
9:47:34ingredients.
9:47:36Tessa brought in two large flat rocks
9:47:38that were placed on a small metal table
9:47:40and gestured at Carl. Hawk, you're up.
9:47:44Just a bit of flaming body on the stones
9:47:46to get the breakfast started. Hawk
9:47:49rolled his eyes. He did this nearly
9:47:52every morning. He didn't need
9:47:53instructions from Carl on how to prepare
9:47:55a stone to make breakfast. Having it up
9:47:58on a platform like that was different,
9:48:00though. Normally, they set it between
9:48:03two branches, and he only heated the
9:48:05middle. The tabletop was stainless
9:48:07steel, and Tessa knew that while it
9:48:09wasn't perfect, it wouldn't be injured
9:48:11by the heat from the stone. But the only
9:48:14folding chairs that anyone had brought
9:48:16were plastic, so they weren't an option,
9:48:18and she didn't feel like going to get
9:48:19branches for a stand or having the
9:48:21nature clerics grow some. Hawk heated
9:48:24their griddle stone, and the clerics got
9:48:26to work while the rest of the team
9:48:28relaxed for a few minutes. Hawk even
9:48:31volunteered some of his precious stash
9:48:32of meats, though Carl noted that they
9:48:35were some of the last awakened rank
9:48:36stockpile, which didn't keep up with his
9:48:38nutritional needs anymore. They were a
9:48:41great help when he was young, but now
9:48:43they were essentially junk food. That
9:48:46was one of the drawbacks of a
9:48:47carnivorous beast. They needed meat to
9:48:49survive, and powerful monsters generally
9:48:51weren't a sustainable resource.
9:48:54As they moved up the ranks, finding
9:48:56large amounts of food for growing
9:48:58highrank beasts would become
9:48:59increasingly difficult no matter what.
9:49:01But keeping the meateers fed would be
9:49:03much more difficult if they were the
9:49:05size of Thor. The space made up much of
9:49:08their needs, but not all. and they
9:49:10needed the intake to help their growth.
9:49:12That would be a consideration for Carl
9:49:14in the future. If he could find
9:49:17omnivorous monsters, it would make his
9:49:19life easier. Or perhaps he could find
9:49:22something esoteric, like a monster that
9:49:24ate rocks or something. No, that could
9:49:27be a pain as well, as finding magical
9:49:29resources was even more limited than
9:49:31monsters.
9:49:33While Carl was distracted by his
9:49:34thoughts, Colonel Valerie came in with
9:49:36the heads of the other two teams who had
9:49:38come to secure and study the anomaly. A
9:49:41man in a suit that looked extremely out
9:49:43of place in a room with cloth walls and
9:49:45a grass floor started the meeting. Good
9:49:48morning, team 2. It is good to see you
9:49:51all up and cooking so early. We have a
9:49:54lot to do today, but the primary goal
9:49:56for now is to test the difficulty of the
9:49:58trial and to check the nature of its
9:50:00rules. Many of these trials have an
9:50:03entry limit, either a number of teams at
9:50:05once or on the size of the teams or the
9:50:08time between entries for specific
9:50:09people. Those all need to be tested and
9:50:12cataloged. But the first on the list is
9:50:14team size. The most common limits are 5,
9:50:1810, or 20 people. However, 20 person
9:50:21dungeons normally have a very
9:50:23distinctive entrance.
9:50:25So we will start you with a 10-person
9:50:27team, eight of which will be elites and
9:50:29two of whom will be researchers from the
9:50:31agencies.
9:50:32Carl considered that for a moment. Is it
9:50:35a matter of trust for the results or a
9:50:37matter of specialized knowledge for the
9:50:39recording? Carl asked, "Specialized
9:50:43knowledge and recording equipment, I'm
9:50:45afraid." The man sighed, then smoothed
9:50:48his freshly ironed coat in a nervous
9:50:50gesture. "That's all right. Now that I
9:50:53know that, we can arrange the members in
9:50:55a proper order to enter. If it splits
9:50:58the team in half, we should still be
9:51:00able to make two groups who can
9:51:02efficiently collect the data that you
9:51:03need, Carl explained.
9:51:06Oh, how is that? Carl gestured out the
9:51:10door in the direction of the anomaly. If
9:51:12that thing will only allow groups of
9:51:14five, it should split the team after the
9:51:16fifth member enters. Correct? So, we
9:51:20will put four of our people in front
9:51:21with a proper group composition and
9:51:23power and then the two researchers in
9:51:25the middle, followed by another four
9:51:27elites. We might have to draw straws on
9:51:30who gets left behind, but it's easy
9:51:32enough to arrange the teams for the
9:51:34highest likelihood that we will have a
9:51:35safe journey. The overdressed man
9:51:38nodded. Oh, yes. I suppose that does
9:51:41work. We were going to recommend just
9:51:44coming back out if the team was split by
9:51:46the dungeon. Carl shrugged.
9:51:49Well, that would tell us how long it
9:51:51would be before we could enter again,
9:51:53but not much else. If the weight is
9:51:56excessive, for example, an entire day,
9:51:58we would be wasting time. Colonel
9:52:01Valerie looked at the man in his
9:52:02expensive suit like he was an idiot who
9:52:04didn't need to be here. But that really
9:52:06wasn't much different from her usual
9:52:08glare. So, Carl wasn't certain how many
9:52:10of the others could really tell what was
9:52:11on her mind as she allowed him to
9:52:13continue. Right. So, if the teams are
9:52:17viable once you enter, we will ask that
9:52:19you gather all the data you can about
9:52:21locations, vegetation, resources,
9:52:24monster power levels, and equipment, as
9:52:26well as the environment inside the
9:52:28dungeon. The researchers with you are
9:52:30combat trained professionals, but they
9:52:33are not elites, so don't expect too much
9:52:35of them. Other than that, can you create
9:52:38two teams of four that will be capable
9:52:40of defeating a low commander ranked
9:52:41dungeon if you should get separated?
9:52:44Carl considered it. then nodded. I think
9:52:47if we send the McKenzie brothers with
9:52:49Morgana and a magic knight who can use
9:52:51golems, they shouldn't have many
9:52:53problems. Commander Bob McKenzie is very
9:52:56close to the royal rank as well, and he
9:52:58is a defense type warrior. The second
9:53:01team would be me plus Dana as our mage,
9:53:03Oilia the dire bear totem berserker, and
9:53:06whoever wins rock paper scissors between
9:53:08the remaining pair of clerics. Tessa and
9:53:11Lotus turned to glare at each other in
9:53:13challenge. If they were going to be one
9:53:16team member over the limit, there was
9:53:17going to be some competition for that
9:53:19spot, especially if Lotus wasn't going
9:53:22to be able to slack off and ride Ray
9:53:24around the woods while everyone else
9:53:25worked. Carl turned to Bob. Does that
9:53:29work for you? I know you won't have a
9:53:32royal rank attacker on your team, but
9:53:34Doug does have regenerating vines that
9:53:36are a pretty good crowd control spell.
9:53:39Not to mention that the vines had thorns
9:53:41and he was at royal rank, so they would
9:53:43likely do as much damage as either of
9:53:45the spellcasters.
9:53:47Ruth shook her head. None of the knights
9:53:50were compatible with the golem spell.
9:53:52All right, then. Dana with Bob and I
9:53:55will take both clerics while the knights
9:53:56have leisure time to take care of their
9:53:58other duties. Ruth nodded. That would be
9:54:02appreciated.
9:54:04There is always paperwork to do after
9:54:06this sort of mission. Carl nodded
9:54:08happily and the rest of his team tried
9:54:10not to laugh. Better you than us,
9:54:13sister. We thank you for your sacrifice.
9:54:17Doug informed the magic knight with a
9:54:19glowing smile while the knights began to
9:54:21realize that they'd been duped. The
9:54:24government man took out a binder full of
9:54:26carefully typed pages and checked down
9:54:28the list before speaking again. Right,
9:54:31that should work. The researchers are
9:54:34ready now, so we should get started as
9:54:36soon as you have eaten," he announced.
9:54:39"Would you like to join us?" "We made
9:54:42plenty," Doug asked. The man shook his
9:54:46head while Colonel Valerie took a seat
9:54:48at one of the tables across from the
9:54:50silent church representative. "We won't
9:54:53be more than 15 minutes if you would
9:54:55like to let the researchers know of the
9:54:56updated plan and the order for our
9:54:58entry."
9:54:59They finished breakfast quickly and
9:55:01found the two security guards at the
9:55:03entry to the dungeon, both equipped with
9:55:05some sort of fancy equipment in a
9:55:07backpack and clipboards.
9:55:09With a nod, they fell into position and
9:55:11the team entered. Carl was the last to
9:55:14enter, and as he stepped through, he
9:55:16found himself with a much smaller group.
9:55:19The dungeon had split them into teams of
9:55:21five, as the government man had said was
9:55:24possible. EW, it smells so bad in here.
9:55:28like the laundry room of the boy's dorms
9:55:30mixed with an overflowing latrine. Lotus
9:55:34complained before covering her face with
9:55:35a bandana. Thank you for that vivid
9:55:38mental image. But you're not wrong. The
9:55:42smell of an ogre camp will not be at the
9:55:44top of my list of favorite memories.
9:55:47Carl chuckled. Their researcher was
9:55:50already making notes and a light on the
9:55:51backpack was blinking, showing that it
9:55:53was doing something. Carl had no idea
9:55:57what it recorded, but if the specialist
9:55:59said it was important, he would believe
9:56:01them. Do we have the manpower to clear
9:56:03this dungeon? The researcher asked as he
9:56:06counted the five of them, which included
9:56:08two clerics.
9:56:10That was not usually the recipe for a
9:56:12powerful team when it was this small.
9:56:14But once Carl called out the beasts,
9:56:16things changed dramatically.
9:56:19Thor bugled a challenge that had the
9:56:20nearest group of ogres coming their way.
9:56:22Rey called out her golems, and Remy
9:56:25crawled up the pole on the researcher's
9:56:26backpack, nearly toppling him over
9:56:28backwards. "He's not an elite. Regular
9:56:32humans have balance issues," Carl joked
9:56:36as he lifted the confused snake off the
9:56:38terrified researcher. "He's bigger than
9:56:40Sister Morgana." "Why can't I climb
9:56:43him?" Remy asked. "Because regular
9:56:47humans are weak and his backpack is
9:56:49heavy. Your weight was going to make him
9:56:52fall over on his back. Tessa ran up
9:56:55Thor's back and settled into position
9:56:56after Ray spun a quick web saddle for
9:56:59her. The researcher looked shocked at
9:57:01the dramatic change in circumstances,
9:57:03and it was obvious that nobody had
9:57:05thought to inform him of the abilities
9:57:07of the team that he had been sent with.
9:57:09To the researchers, it likely didn't
9:57:11matter. The elites were here to gather
9:57:14data for them, and that was the extent
9:57:16of what they thought of the matter. Carl
9:57:18watched as the meter in the man's hand
9:57:20went crazy and peaked out for a moment
9:57:22before settling down again. What is the
9:57:25meter reading? Carl asked. Energy
9:57:29signatures.
9:57:31It's like the testing device. It
9:57:32measures maximum energy output but in a
9:57:35wider area. It's how we officially
9:57:38categorize the monsters.
9:57:40Then that first peak was from my team.
9:57:43Carl asked. The researcher nodded. It's
9:57:47not designed for royal rank battles. I
9:57:50will have to sort out the data from the
9:57:52monsters later, but if you can try not
9:57:54to have your team use long duration
9:57:55spells, it will help my readings. Remy,
9:57:59avoid blizzard and thunderstorm.
9:58:03Thor, unfortunately, we will have to
9:58:05avoid circle of protection. Carl
9:58:08instructed. The golems moved forward and
9:58:11the ogres shouted as they attacked,
9:58:13causing the meter to move up a bit over
9:58:15halfway.
9:58:17Then the golems attacked and the meter
9:58:19pegged the needle wildly for a few
9:58:20seconds before the ogres were dead. What
9:58:23the hell? The researcher mumbled. Oh,
9:58:27they're imbued with offensive
9:58:29adaptation.
9:58:30The skill must activate when they
9:58:32attack, and that will be what you're
9:58:34reading, Carl explained.
9:58:37I see. This could be difficult. I need
9:58:41to see every ogre attack so that I can
9:58:43record individual power, but I'm not
9:58:45sure they all got a chance, he
9:58:47explained.
9:58:49Carl considered the answer for a moment.
9:58:52I can have the golems hold back so we
9:58:54can get data before they murder the
9:58:56ogres. If possible, that would be
9:58:59wonderful. Also, the fewer team members
9:59:02attacking, the better. It makes it
9:59:05easier to sort the data. I know that
9:59:07sounds a bit insane, even to my ears,
9:59:10but I've never worked with a prince or a
9:59:12spider who can solo entire teams of
9:59:14ogres before. He finished his notes
9:59:17about the area and then nodded politely
9:59:19to Ry, who sent her golems over to taunt
9:59:21the next group, who put up a valiant
9:59:23fight for about 10 seconds before Rey
9:59:25decided they had waited long enough and
9:59:27had them attack.
9:59:29There was only one commander rank ogre
9:59:31in that group, and there were none in
9:59:32the next two groups, though the second
9:59:34one had a mage who carried a long staff
9:59:36and repeatedly hit the golems with
9:59:38fireballs.
9:59:40There was some damage, which Lotus
9:59:42quickly repaired with a pair of healing
9:59:44spells, which seemed to work just fine,
9:59:46even though the golems weren't actually
9:59:48living things. Perhaps it was because
9:59:51they were made of a plant-like material,
9:59:52and she was a nature priest. Carl wasn't
9:59:56all that clear on how holy magic worked.
9:59:59Perhaps they were healed just because
10:00:00the gods agreed. When they got to the
10:00:03first boss, a peak commander rank ogre
10:00:05lord with two massive blades in his
10:00:07hands, Ry gave Carl a look that said she
10:00:10had better be receiving some help for
10:00:11this one. Carl knew that the golems
10:00:14could and would kill it. They had
10:00:16already eliminated one of the bosses on
10:00:18their own when the teams first arrived.
10:00:20But Rey was becoming suspicious that
10:00:22they were just using her as their
10:00:23workhorse while everyone else slacked.
10:00:26Carl turned to the researcher. Will you
10:00:29be able to get readings if all of us go
10:00:30to deal with that? Reluctantly, the man
10:00:34nodded. Yeah, that's usually how it
10:00:36goes. We have to pick out their data
10:00:38from the attacks of a whole group. This
10:00:41has been so much better that I wouldn't
10:00:43want to if I didn't have to. But against
10:00:45the dungeon bosses, it's inevitable.
10:00:48Plus, only a few of your beasts will be
10:00:50similar in power output to the boss, so
10:00:52it shouldn't be too bad if they don't
10:00:54use channelneled spells. The golems let
10:00:57the ogre lord get the first swing, and
10:00:59then he got one more in on Thor before
10:01:01he was hurled onto his back and mangled
10:01:03by a combination of golems, fire, and
10:01:06lightning magic.
10:01:08Threeon-one, the rank advantage made the
10:01:10fight short and brutal, but just long
10:01:12enough that their researcher could get
10:01:13some data. Carl smiled as the ogre
10:01:16lord's body vanished and a large chest
10:01:19appeared in its place. "Now for the fun
10:01:21part. Let's see what the dungeon
10:01:23rewarded us with for defeating the first
10:01:25boss." He joked as the furious
10:01:28scratching of a pen on paper replaced
10:01:30the sounds of battle. As Carl opened the
10:01:33reward chest from the boss, something
10:01:35flickered in his vision, almost like the
10:01:37notifications that appeared inside
10:01:38dungeons and trails, but obviously in
10:01:40his vision and not in the air in front
10:01:42of him. It was almost like the
10:01:45information was on a pair of goggles in
10:01:46front of him, but it vanished after a
10:01:48few seconds and never got clear enough
10:01:50that he could properly read it. The lid
10:01:53on the chest flipped open and a small
10:01:55pile of items were found inside.
10:01:58gained one skill point appeared in
10:02:00Carl's vision, making him pause. Did
10:02:03anyone else see that? He asked. "See
10:02:07what?" Lotus asked, coming to stand
10:02:10beside him as Remy slid up his back to
10:02:12see what was in the box. Carl looked
10:02:15through the items, but didn't touch
10:02:16anything yet. "There was a chance that
10:02:19it would bond to him if he picked it up.
10:02:21And this was a commander ranked dungeon,
10:02:23and he had royal rank armor as a skill.
10:02:26It would be better to let the others
10:02:27make up for any items that they might be
10:02:29missing. There was a pile of cloth, some
10:02:33chain armor, a collection of gems that
10:02:35Carl's identify skill said would have no
10:02:38particular benefit to the beasts, but
10:02:40they were magical and not just pretty.
10:02:43Then there was a dagger, a wand, and a
10:02:45square item wrapped in cloth that looked
10:02:47like a book. Carl liked books. So did
10:02:51Remy. He carefully lifted it out of the
10:02:54treasure box and opened the cloth
10:02:55wrapping. It was a book bound in red
10:02:58leather with a dragon head on the front.
10:03:01That was promising, even if it didn't
10:03:03have any words on the cover. Usable by
10:03:06clerics, red dragons.
10:03:09The words appeared in Carl's vision
10:03:11again. The strange goggle effect when
10:03:13this effect appeared was a bit
10:03:15disorienting, but the message was clear
10:03:17enough. He couldn't use it. Hey, Tessa.
10:03:21I think this one is for you. Carl called
10:03:24as he held out the book. Tessa leaned
10:03:27over using the rough surface of Thor's
10:03:29scales to keep from sliding off and
10:03:31grabbed the book before sitting back
10:03:33upright. She flipped the book open and
10:03:36smiled. That wasn't the response that
10:03:39Carl was expecting as the book didn't
10:03:41vanish. It's not a skill book. It is a
10:03:44hymn book. The pages are full of Red
10:03:47Dragon cleric battle hymns, and keeping
10:03:49it equipped adds bonuses to my holy
10:03:51magic, she explained.
10:03:54She let go of it, and it appeared in a
10:03:56smaller form, hanging by a chain from
10:03:59her belt. It was locked shut, but if it
10:04:02[clears throat] was just a hymn book,
10:04:03she didn't actually need to open it. She
10:04:06already knew the songs, and she wasn't a
10:04:08bard that needed to sing in combat. Not
10:04:11that she didn't sing in combat on
10:04:13occasion, but that was more to keep Thor
10:04:15amused while they waited then because it
10:04:16helped with anything in combat. The
10:04:19other items were removed one at a time,
10:04:21and none of them particularly appealed
10:04:23to the members of the group. But once
10:04:25the last item was removed, the box
10:04:27disappeared.
10:04:29None of us plan to keep this stuff, so
10:04:31we will put it in storage for later,
10:04:33Carl explained. The researcher nodded.
10:04:37That is fine. Anything you get from the
10:04:40dungeon is yours to keep. I'm just here
10:04:42to observe and record. Carl scooped the
10:04:45spare items up and put them in the
10:04:47spider silk bags that Thor wore as part
10:04:49of his work uniform that included
10:04:51Tessa's saddle. They moved out to take
10:04:54on the next groups. This time sending
10:04:56Oilia first so she could practice her
10:04:58fighting skills in dire bear form. Her
10:05:01toxic claws easily tore apart the ogres,
10:05:04and even the blade wielded by the
10:05:06commander rank leader of the group was
10:05:08no match for the refreshing lightning
10:05:10shielded claws of the dire bear. Oilia
10:05:13shifted back for a moment between
10:05:15groups. "Hey, that's pretty cool. In
10:05:19this form, it still counts my weapons as
10:05:21equipped, and I get the life steal from
10:05:23them when I kill things with my claws,"
10:05:26she explained.
10:05:28That will be huge later. The more damage
10:05:31that you do, the more you will heal. And
10:05:33if you have poisoned multiple targets,
10:05:35you should get a steady stream of
10:05:36healing in return from the life steal.
10:05:39Carl replied, impressed by the utility
10:05:42of her new form. Oilia smiled as she
10:05:45transformed back and charged another
10:05:47group, testing that theory. Instead of
10:05:50focusing on one target, she used swipe,
10:05:53an innate skill of her new form that
10:05:55worked with toxic claws and black poison
10:05:58began spreading from the wounds on all
10:05:59four ogres in the group. They weren't
10:06:02breaking Thor's refreshing lightning as
10:06:04the massive bear was surprisingly agile,
10:06:07but Carl could see the pulses of magic
10:06:09flowing from them to Oilia every second
10:06:11or so. That bear is a menace. their
10:06:15observer noted. Yeah, bear totem
10:06:18berserkers are beasts in combat, and
10:06:20that new transformation she got the
10:06:22other day is definitely not a rank one
10:06:24skill. Carl agreed. Might I ask where
10:06:28she got it? Carl winked at him. There
10:06:31was an advancement trial on the hill
10:06:33giant border, but you didn't hear that
10:06:35from me. I don't know whether it's
10:06:37classified or not. The observer nodded.
10:06:41It's been ranked as need to know and I
10:06:43already knew about it. I just didn't
10:06:46know that it was your team. Was team one
10:06:49the other one to enter? Carl shook his
10:06:52head. No, they arrived in a helicopter
10:06:55for this response. I don't know where
10:06:57they were stationed.
10:06:59Still, two dungeons for your group so
10:07:02close together is huge. Not many elites
10:07:05get that lucky with their assignments.
10:07:08That made Tessa laugh as she looked down
10:07:10from Thor's back. The world dragon
10:07:12favors him. Everywhere that we go,
10:07:15things are destined to go wrong in all
10:07:17the right ways. Everyone who has been in
10:07:20his group has advanced as much in the
10:07:22last few months as they did in the
10:07:23earlier parts of their lives. None of us
10:07:26were commanders when the war broke out.
10:07:28And now look at what Oilia can do to a
10:07:31whole team of ogres. Just as she spoke,
10:07:34one massive paw crushed an ogre's face,
10:07:36shattering bone before the claws tore
10:07:38the flesh apart. You have a point.
10:07:42That's not low commander rank combat
10:07:44power. The next boss was carrying a
10:07:47staff with a large jewel on top, and
10:07:49Remy was eyeing it with greed. I need
10:07:52the shiny stick. I can have the stick
10:07:55when we kill it, right? She asked.
10:07:59If it doesn't vanish when he dies, you
10:08:01can have it. Carl laughed. The bodies in
10:08:05the dungeon simply vanished after a few
10:08:07seconds, leaving piles of stuff on the
10:08:09ground now and then. Mostly it was just
10:08:12coins, but they had picked up a few
10:08:14pieces of cloth and leather armor and a
10:08:16few crude magical weapons as well. The
10:08:19observer nodded, and the attack started
10:08:21with Remy instantly going for the ogre's
10:08:23neck from behind to poison him while she
10:08:25slid down his arm to attempt to steal
10:08:27the staff.
10:08:28One way or another, she was determined
10:08:30to have it, even if she had to bite his
10:08:32hand clean off with only two teeth to
10:08:34get it. Unfortunately, Carl's attempt to
10:08:38be helpful was a bit too much, and the
10:08:40stun enhanced maul strike crushed its
10:08:42skull, which made the body vanish a half
10:08:45second after Remy gained control of the
10:08:47staff. With the boss dead, the staff was
10:08:50also gone.

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